


Another Stark One

by DarcyLewisStark



Series: Another Stark One [3]
Category: Black Widow (Comics), Captain America, Hawkeye (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor - All Media Types, Thor - Fandom
Genre: Another Stark One, Darcy Lewis-Stark, Darcy Stark, F/M, Feels, Gen, Iron Man arc, Parent Tony Stark, Superfamily, Tony Stark has a daughter, Tony has a daughter, genius
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-19 09:19:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/571702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarcyLewisStark/pseuds/DarcyLewisStark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuation of the Darcy Lewis-Stark series, focusing more on the Marvel movies. Starting with the Iron man movies. Read after "A Normal Childhood"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A.S.T.R.I.D.

_48 hours earlier._

_Good morning. It's 7 am. The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder highline. High tide will be at 10:52 am…_

Tony Stark does have a way with women, she thought. Christine Everhart was always professional. As leading journalist of Vanity Fair, she has the power to get any story she wants without batting an eyelash. Last night proved Tony could do the same. In this case, it wasn't for a story. He only spoke and here she was on his bed, tousled haired. While marveling at the crystal blue waters of the Pacific, she wondered. Where is that devil?

Realizing that her clothes are nowhere to be found, she grabbed his shirt from the floor and stepped lightly on the marble flooring, with eyes wandering on everything. She figured that she should leave right away. If one living soul were to see her in his house in that state, she would lose that earned professionalism that she tries so hard to maintain. But then she also realized that she was in the house of the man people would kill to be acquainted with. She was in Tony freaking Stark's mansion, for Pete's sake. A reporter like her should not let this one-in-a-lifetime chance to slip away. Biting her lip to maintain her excitement, careful blue eyes eyed everything with scrutiny. Everyone has secrets, and she can't wait to find out Tony Stark's.

"Tony?" she called, trying to look innocent while curious eyes drifted on every nook and cranny of the Stark household, "Hey, Tony?"

She spotted a long corridor, white but unlit. Various paintings decorated the cream walls. She noticed most of them are very renowned ones, she'd assume would cost millions of dollars each. If only she had her recorder. Everything would be easier to remember that things she was uncovering.

"I see Rothko, two Pollock's, Koonings…" she muttered to herself, and then she gasped, "Could this be…? Oh it is!"

She tip-toed closer to the arcade of bookshelves. There were at least 10 of those dark brown oak shelves and she knew very well what they were. She ran her fingers across the dusting spines of the leather bound books. She has heard of these books. They were Howard Stark's valuable collection of engineering and other philanthropic books. She couldn't believe her eyes when she realized that ninety percent of these collections are first-edition publications.

The bookshelves end before a small rectangular glass screen. She cocked her head to the side, thinking if it was some kind of Stark tech. Judging from the facilities she visited before, she concluded that it was some kind of lock. But it's weird. There are no doors around. Curiosity filled her mind like a child. These were all getting too interesting. She smirked to herself as she reached to tap the keypad. She could already smell the Pulitzer once she finds the door the opens with this lock.

And the smell is gone when it immediately turned red.

_You are not authorized to access this area._

"Jesus!" she jumped as the disembodied voice blocked her. Right. How can she be so stupid? Of course it wouldn't allow her in.

"No, that's JARVIS," a voice piped in. the blonde immediately recoiled back to her cool composure as she heard the voice. She knew the voice and she knew it well.

"He runs the house," she spoke again, meeting the reporter with her usual business smile, "I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go."

The woman flipped her hair and smirked, "You must be the famous Pepper Potts."

Pepper only returned a kind smile. "Indeed I am."

"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning," she sneered, aiming to intimidate. But Pepper was completely unfazed.

"I do anything and everything Mr. Stark requires, including, occasionally, taking out the trash."

The blonde frowned.

"Will that be all?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

_The compression in cylinder three appears to be low._

"Log that." Tony ordered his computer, as he looked through the hologram of the engine. His ears perked up as he heard distinct footsteps descending down his stairs. Only three people are allowed to interrupt him when he's working in his shop—and that is Darcy, Pepper and Rhodey. Well, he didn't allow them, but they are stubborn enough to disturb him. Darcy is in New York and Rhodey is somewhere so deduced that it was Pepper tapping the code to the code. And he was right as the guitar solo blaring through his speakers muted.

"Please don't turn down my music," he mumbled, but the assistant ignored.

"You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now." Pepper sighed.

"How'd she take it?" he arched his eyebrows, as he finished up with the engine.

"Like a champ," she smiled weakly.  _Considering how she almost went inside Darcy's room._ "And your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and half ago."

"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all… that it would just wait for me to get there," he stated.

"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things," she added, looking through the book, "before I get you out of the door."

"Honestly, doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plan if it departs before you arrive?" he sighed, "And why is it only me? When Darcy's late, you guys always wait for her."

"Larry called." Pepper disregarded his comment and just continued on, "He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no."

"And nobody complains when you're late." He whined. "Is it a good representation of his spring period?"

"I'm never late," she retorted, "And no. The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked, not 'spring' like the season."

"Right, you're never late. And so?" he shrugged.

"I think it's a fair example," she replied, "I think it's incredibly overpriced."

"I need it. Buy it. Store it."

"Okay. The MIT commencement speech…" she breathed out.

"…is in June." Tony added. "Please, don't harangue me about stuff way, way, down… How about Darcy's graduation? When is that? What are we wearing?"

"That is also in June, Tony, but different days, fortunately," she gives him a look, "They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes."

"Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me," he muttered as he spins the engine's hologram, "And Darcy's graduation?"

"…is before the commencement speech. You should talk to her about that. She wants to go," she told him, taking his phone out to put on the table near him. Tony grabbed it right away and started tapping through the device.

"This girl. Why would she want to go? She doesn't even want to go there… What's so great about Empire U anyway…" he rolled his eyes. Pepper smirked.

"You're just upset that she didn't want go to your college."

"If not MIT, why not Culver? Culver has an exceptional bio-engineering program and those political fixations she's always raving about…"

"Let her do what she wants first. Political science is what interests her so let her be," she shrugged, "And I went to Empire U so you should stop talking."

"You and Meredith," he shook his head, "Now, Darcy? What's so great about that besides it's in New York?"

Pepper deflected the question with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow. "I need you to sign this before you get on the plane. It's a permission slip for Darcy's senior trip."

"What are you trying to get rid of me for? You got plans?" he joked, going to her to look at the document. He smirked, "Vermont? Who goes to Vermont for a trip?" He signed anyway.

"It's not exactly a Stark-funded excursion," she responded, "And as a matter of fact, I do."

"I don't like it when you have plans," he narrowed his eyes at her. Pepper inwardly grinned as she recalled her years back when she just started being his assistant. Back then, he couldn't wait to get rid of her.

"I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday," she smiled flatly.

Tony raised an eyebrow, "It's your birthday?"

"Yes."

"I knew that. Already?" he asked coolly inserting his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year." She smirked, "Darcy remembered."

"Get yourself something nice from me," he said immediately, trying to cover up his mistake.

"I already did.

"And?"

"It was very nice. Darcy think so too, when she saw it."

"Yeah?" Tony looked at her with a suspicious look, "And when was this?"

"I just got back from New York, two hours ago."

"And I wasn't invited…" he frowned. "You were kind of busy." Pepper added, hinting his recent experience with the beautiful Christine Everhart.

"But it's very tasteful," she quickly commented, "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"You're welcome, Ms. Potts."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Okay, ladies. Take five," Tony ordered. The flight attendants playfully frowned at him and stopped dancing. As he pushed the inebriated Rhodey softly on the cushion, the girl leave the room to resume on their real jobs. He muttered 'mute,' shutting off all the music and lights on the plane. He dug his hand into his pockets to reach for his phone. It should be around 12 noon in New York.

"You're more than what you are, Stark," Rhodey mumbled as he waited for his recipient to answer, "You don't have to be like me."

"You're wasted, bud," he chuckled. Then the ringing stopped.

_Hello? Dad?_

"Hey, Darce. Just passing through New York," he said as he looked down upon the window, "Pepper said you wanted to talk?"

 _There's a lot of planes flying over here so I don't exactly know which one to wave to,_ she laughed,  _and yeah. Hey, Dad, can come to your commencement speech?_

"What's the point of coming if you're not going to the school?" he teased, "Honestly, you're valedictorian and they planned on giving you a full ride."

_Too many smart people cramped into one campus. I'm already intimated by you so why go for more trouble? And come on, I just want to see your speech. One of my teachers told a story that you managed to give out a lecture on circuitry and evolutionary computations while inebriated. I'd pay to see that._

"I'd give it sober, just for you, nerd-brain," he smirked, earning a frustrated groan from his daughter, "I guess this is a phase, right? Is this a time to become rebellious?"

_Right, 17 is my rebellious age, Dad._

"I can sense you rolling your eyes at me," he smirked.

_Ugh! Dad, why are you so controlling?! I want to get five doctorates not three!_

"Don't talk to me in that tone, young lady!" he mockingly gasped, "Face reality, Darce! You're never getting a career with a political science degree!"

_You're the worst parent ever! I'll get a biochemical degree just to annoy you!_

Tony laughed along with his daughter. "Was that our take on being a normal family?"

_I think that was a good try, ahaha. Although judging by the people around me, I'm still weird._

"Being normal is overrated," he scoffed,"Shouldn't you be in class?"

_The valedictorian is exempt from classes._

"Since when?" he chortled, "I don't remember myself being exempt from classes back then."

_You're getting too old, Dad._

"Or you're just cutting. Kid, you are getting too many bad influences,"

_You mean_ _ you _ _, aha? Nah, it's lunchtime now so I'm in the school's workshop._

"You should just say yes to the new shop already. Consider it an early college gift."

_No, I am not going to use your shop in the MetLife Building. I rather make something in a hole with a box of scraps than use a new one. Besides, I already 0have one back home._

"You refused the Audi, and this. You making me look bad here, child," he frowned, "What kind of father am I to neglect you of lavish things?"

 _Uh, a good one? You'd be an even greater one, if you come to my graduation_.

"Darcy," his voice turned severe, "You know, I wouldn't miss it for the world." And he could feel her smile through the phone.

_And bring me to your commencement speech?_

"That I don't know," he smirked.

 _Come on!_ Then she pauses.  _I won't tell Ma to wear her new dress to my graduation._

"So it's a dress, huh?"

_She bought two. One of them she bought with your money. And I gotta tell you, Dad, backless never looked so gorgeous._

"I'm interested." He muttered as he looked through his window. The sky looked especially blue today. He pictured a certain red-hair wearing the same shade.

_So I guess it's a deal, then. Remember June 24_ _th_ _okay?_

"We'll be there, dressed like normal people." He grinned, "Except for Pep."

_Promise?_

"With all my heart, Darce." His gaze softened. Even for all the mistakes he had done in the past and yesterday, he's doing everything he can to do right with Darcy. It's the only time where he can just be himself, with no other people's criticism and judgment. He's always there for her, and she's always there for him. Now was not the time to make an exception. He may not be the greatest human being out there, but at least he's a better father.

_Okay, you hear that? That's the bell. I better go back to class._

"All right, kid."

_Have fun on your business trip. Blow them army people away and say hi to Uncle Rhodey for me._

"He would, but he's incapable right now." He chuckled as he looked at his snoring friend.

_Ease down on the alcohol, and be safe, okay?_

"You too. Especially in Vermont. It's a dangerous place," he teased.

_And so is Afghanistan. Be safe again and talk to you again in three days. Love you, Dad._

Only Darcy can make him say it too. No one can. Only this little kid of his can make say those words.

"I love you too, Darcy."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"That jerk." Darcy hissed, her glasses glaring through the computer screens as she typed in an inhuman speed, "I told you it's dangerous. You better be safe."

Hours and hours have passed since she locked herself in Tony's workshop. She hasn't eaten, or bathed, because in all honesty, she didn't care. She didn't care about the throbbing pain slithering up and down her spine and neck. She didn't care about her immovable feet for staying still for too long. She didn't care about school or anything. All she needed to do was to finish what she needed to finish so she can breathe a little easier.

_Ms. Darcy, Ms. Potts is attempting to gain access again._

"Ignore," she ordered as stretched her neck side by side. She doesn't need to see anyone at the moment. Even Pepper. The woman tried to take her away from the seat but Darcy kept refusing. She kept coming back to the point where fatigue and pain has already plagued Darcy's system rendered her quick-tempered side on. The woman tried to tell her that everything was under control and that it'd be best for her to go sleep. Darcy didn't say anything but push her towards the door and changed all the passwords accessing the lab. No one is getting in or out. Not until her father is found.

_The 28_ _th_ _Echo Company based in Kabul has received news of an attack on a small village 100 clicks near Mr. Stark's abduction. Many men are also abducted from their families. It seems that this particular hostile group is gathering men._

"They wouldn't just kidnap my Dad, if they needed men," she inferred, "They need him for something else. There's a piece to this puzzle and I have to find out what." She groaned loudly, stifling a yawn.

_It would be best that you rest tonight, Ms. Darcy._

"Not you too, JARVIS," she hissed as she scrolled through pages of code. She was indeed tired, and cranky, but she has to finish this as soon as possible. Writing more than three hundred pages of code cannot and shouldn't be disturbed. "We gotta find Dad, JARVIS, you know that?"

_It would be unwise if you continue any further. The human brain can only take so much._

"That's why I'm making this!" she hissed, her fingers getting heavy on the keyboard. Anger and irritation flowed through her fingers as she typed. She thought it was going to be easy. Sure, Tony made JARVIS in a span of 5 years, but that was because the technology back then couldn't go along with Tony's innovative mind. But now, 2008, it shouldn't take as long. She has her father's old logs and files, it should be easy to imitate the algorithms and process the evolutionary computations. And with JARVIS to help her, it should have been easy to modify the codes. She should've been done in one day.

But it's not. Everything is not going as planned. Here she was, dragging her fingers back and forth across the keyboard like a machine. She had been sitting like doll for hours and hours, dust was beginning to collect on the surface of her glasses and she was pretty sure the grade of her eyesight just went a notch lower. All these codes and all the news about his abduction has been on the screen. They should help. But it was taking too long.

"Wait! Oh my god, yes. JARVIS, knowledge representation achieved," she called out. A small smirk pulled her frown. Finally she's getting somewhere.

_Awaiting reasoning engineering… complete. Processing commonsense qualifications… complete. Input ontological domains and representations… complete. Combinatorial algorithms updated and sensorimotor networks embedded. Basic computation intelligence installation is successful, Ms. Darcy._

"Perfect," she smiled weakly. "Now, I just have to program the automated planning utilization server and the affective computing part," she sighed.

_You still have to program the localization, mapping, and the information retrieval sub-nets, Ms. Darcy. Moreover, developing a self-replication system and code injection capabilities would be useful._

"Ugh. This is not working," she grimaced, sinking her down onto the desk, "This is all too much. I can't do this." She let her forehead touch the cold glass desk. It was a comforting sensation, so nice and cold. She wondered if her bed would feel the same. She wondered if her pillows would welcome her with open arms, and her silk blankets to envelop her of—"Oh crapballs."

Nope. She can't sleep. She shouldn't sleep. Every hour, every minute, every second should not be wasted. She needed every time to do whatever she can so that her father wouldn't spend one more second in whatever they're keeping him. She needed everything so that he wouldn't get any chances of getting hurt.

She let her body fall back on the chair, her head looking up on the ceiling. "Dad," she took a deep breath, "Where the hell are you?"

Darcy was also afraid—afraid that once she closes her eyes, she'd start seeing things.

_Again._

Yesterday, just as she was finishing making the operating system, she decided to take a nap. Just a simple break. She hoped that closing her eyes would just open her back to reality, rendering all of this as just a vivid nightmare. But when darkness came, more of the nightmare ensued.

She heard  _him._

Screaming.

Crying in pain.

She heard him groan in agony, curse in excruciation. Everything was red, and smelled like metal rusting—as if everything was covered in blood. Then she saw his eyes that were no longer bright of life. They were dull, no longer warm like chocolate but almost black. Black like death. Air was immediately knocked out of her lungs, and her heart throbbed maniacally as if anxiety and fear were closing in on it. The feeling was unbearably painful, as if splinters pierced through every muscle and bone.

Then everything went black.

Cold.

Metallic.

It scared her. To be in the middle of the shadows, it was incredibly horrifying. Her lips quivered as the pure darkness contaminated her system. A whirring sound began to fill her ears. Gunshots rang in the ear. And the sound of metal clinking continued on loop. The sounds were incessant, never-ending. It grew louder, and louder, and louder, until she felt her ears bleed. What was even more terrifying, and deafening was the sound of him breathing. Then it stopped.

Darcy immediately woke up right after that, screaming "DAD!" with all the air in her lungs. She found herself sweating cold sweats, and her skin ten shades paler than usual. Eyes were bloodshot and wide open like saucers. Her chest heaved, hyperventilated. Her shoulders drooped down as if heavy rocks weighed her down. She couldn't stop shaking for hours, until she distracted herself again with the computers.

Finding Tony would only remedy the nightmares.

"Sleeping is for the weak," she convinced herself as she resumed typing. She reached for her near-empty can of Red Bull and finished it. She let the caffeine drown her, shaking all the distractions away.

_Ms. Darcy, there is an incoming call—_

"No, no, no," she sighed, "Tell Mom, I'm fine. I went to the bathroom already and I have a box of PopTarts here by DUMMY—Uh no, DUMMY I didn't call you. No, I don't want a PopTart right now, Dummy relax." The robot dropped its claw, dejected. Darcy noticed it, so she reached her hand to get a piece of the PopTart. She smiled, "The things I do for you, you little piece of metal."

_I'm afraid—_

"No, JARVIS," she countered, "Tell her to go to work or whatever. Don't they need her to run the company?" Pepper has been haranguing her to leave the lab to rest. Every two hours, she would come down, begging for her to go up and eat. She would stay there—locked out by Darcy—with eyes red from crying. The woman was severely fatigued, completely overwhelmed by the events. It breaks Darcy's heart to see her like that. Pepper Potts has always been so strong, but things like these just tears down her walls like a nuclear bomb. Darcy sighed again. She wanted to open the door for her, and let her in. She wanted to just come into her arms and hug all the pain and worry away—to just cry endlessly, hopelessly wishing for everything to become just a nightmare. But she promised herself that she wouldn't cry, no matter what. Tears are a sign of weakness, desperation. Nothing would ever amount to that.

_It is 8:24 PM, Ms. Darcy. Ms. Potts is currently in the living area tryi—_

"Wow, only 12 hours passed?" she muttered, eyes not straying from the screen, "I guess I'm doing every right so far, right?"

_A day has passed, Ms. Darcy._

"Well then," she frowned. "I guess everything is not going right. Ain't that wonderful?" She scowled at herself, burying her face in her palms. She rubbed her eyes carelessly, and ran her fingers through her now unfurling hair. Then blue eyes stared at the screens blankly. Upon the strings of blue letters and numbers scrolling up and down, she saw an image of man. He wore a sophisticated dark blue suit. He wore his trademark goatee. She saw aloof eyes staring into her, with his million-dollar smirk. Red numbers blinked egregiously under his picture. It marked the time of his estimated time of abduction, and the numbers continued to increase per second. Then above those behind those numbers ticking, she saw a faint image of a girl. She wore a thick green cashmere sweater. Her brunette hair was all over the place, little curls sticking out at every end. She was incredibly pale, with dark circles around her eyes. The girl was frowning. The girl looked like she was about to cry.

_Ms. Darcy?_

Her voice was hoarse, "Y-yeah?"

_The incoming call… I have traced it back to the Bagram Air Base stationed in Kabul. It seems that the connection is being transmitted through the Stark ZIPSAT satellite._

Darcy perked up. Only a number of people knew how to use the Stark satellite communication. "Accept," she ordered and all the code on the computer screens swiped away. The monitors blinked, and she began hearing voices of people. Her heart thumped as she waited for the caller to come out. The camera slowly focused, and suddenly air was knocked out of her lungs.

"U-Uncle Rhodey?" she gasped as she finally saw the man on the other side of the camera.

He weakly chuckled, "Hey, Darce."

An exasperated gasp exhaled through her mouth, dark cobalt orbs turned into a stunned aquamarine. She felt her fingers shake on the keyboard as the man before her frailly smiled. A cold and sinking realization came over her as she looked at him with quivering eyes.

A stained bandage circled his head, browned by blood. His face was covered in dirt and cuts. His usual warm brown eyes were shadowed by a dark intention, knitted eyebrows in remorse. His thin smile immediately disappeared with a frown. Behind him was nothing but the heavy black veil of melancholy and regret.

Darcy was hesitant to speak. Rhodey just looked so… so heartbroken.

"Is-is—" she squeaked, "Is he—

Rhodes frowned deeply, squeezing his eyes shut to block the memories hours before. He bowed his head, and buried his face in his hands. A deep and shaky breath followed. "N-no, Darce," he muttered, "He's not with us…"

Her mind reeled with fear and anxiety. She gripped her hands together as Rhodes talked. Each phrase was a trembling sound, each word a desperate cry. She knew that the feelings she was felt was already agonizing and nerve-wracking but Rhodes… he was actually there. He was there in the line.

"It went too fast, Darcy," he croaked painfully, "It all went too fast."

Darcy clenched her teeth as she heard slow and pained gasp between his sentences. His voice was so low, that it was no more of a suffocated breath scarcely to be heard.

"It was an ambush. I-I called Pepper just before I was knocked out. I had to make sure you guys are safe. I-I don't know why this is happening, Darcy," he stammered, "It just all went too fast."

Blue, watery eyes looked up to the ceiling. She forced them open to let the blinding fluorescent light dry the tears that were threatening to come.

"People won't tell me anything. They wouldn't tell me a damn thing," he hissed.

Her sight was blurring. No, she can't cry. She shouldn't cry. She has to be strong. She promised.

"We're going to find him," she whispered, "We're going to bring him back home." The man's soul was weary, burdened with deep regret. She hoped to shine some light upon him, the light of motivation, but Rhodes only brought his down lower to desk and slammed his fist onto the wood.

"I told him to stay down!" he finally looked up, growling, "I told him to stay back, Darcy, goddamn it!" She whimpered lowly as she noticed his eyes become an ominous black, blank and motionless. Red veins sprawled from the shadows of his irises, trembling with sorrow. "But he couldn't hear me! There was too much fire. All my men and women are dropping like flies because of those assholes and he was running around like a moron! God, if you could hear how much I screamed, 'Get down!' But he just wouldn't listen!"

"We're going to find him, Uncle Rhodey," she whispered. His eyes were getting redder.

"And you know what, Darcy?" he wept, "He kept yelling at me too. I-I heard him. But he couldn't hear me. I heard his voice louder and clearer than all of the bullets that I was shooting. He kept calling me. With that damn face of his, he just kept yelling, 'Rhodey! Rhodey! Rho…"

The first drop of tear was about to fall. He blinked it away.

"…dey," he finished with a fatigued breath; his cheeks glistened with relentless tears. Silence flooded the room, with only the sound of her slow throbbing heart. "And it hasn't stopped since," he sighed, "I can still hear him. I can still hear him calling for me. I can still hear him calling for help."

Darcy stared at him with storming eyes. She gritted her teeth. She was angry. She was confused. She was in agony. All of them felt at the same time. She wondered where all the emotions are coming from. She was always so apathetic to situations. She never showed any emotions. It's something she mastered from Pepper and Tony. They were never the type to fully open themselves easily to other people and she became that person. But now, all her walls are being broken down piece by piece. Ripped out without mercy. To see Rhodes break down like that… it finalized everything—all apathy was gone.

She repeated again but with a more severe voice, "We are going to find him."

Rhodes looked back at her, the tears still staining his face. He looked back with eyes darkened by a promise. He nodded rigidly, emanating the austere aura he always had, "Tony's not a soldier. He never was. But he will be treated as one. I promised you that, Darcy. When soldiers disappear, we never stop. We will keep going. We will find him. And we will bring him back home."

The girl nodded back, trembling hands reaching for the keyboard. As Rhodes continued to talk about his plan, Darcy caught a glimpse of her progress with making a new system. At the midst of their conversation, JARVIS started manipulating and modifying Tony's old files, updating them to fit Darcy's operating system. The codes reflected over her eyes, and she blinked with anticipation.

"Yes," she exhaled slowly, "We'll bring him back home."

Completion is reaching 100%

"And we are going to start..." Rhodey continued, his voice heavy.

"By sending NASA a computer virus."

"By sending you back to New York." They both nodded at themselves, seemingly resolute of their decisions.

" _What?!"_ The two gasped at each other simultaneously as they realized each other's unyielding declarations. Darcy gazed at him with bright wide eyes, mouth ajar while Rhodes stuttered with dazed glassy eyes.

"Hack NASA?!" he barked, tilting his head in massive incredulousness.

"Send me back to  _New York_?!" she countered, angry, "What the hell are you thinking?"

All tears were already dried up, as Rhodes pushed his head back in disbelief. "What the hell are  _you_ thinking, Darcy? When did you start talking like that?!"

"When you decided that it was okay to ship me back to New York when my father is still missing!" she hissed back, "Uncle Rhodey, I can help!"

"By hacking NASA?!" he bellowed, "It's a federal crime, Darcy! Moreover, you'll jyst put yourself in danger when they catch you—

"What makes you so sure that they'll catch me?" she narrowed her eyes, "You don't know what I'm capable of."

Rhodes shook his head, completely taken back by the wave of surprises. He was shocked. He never expected that. Moreover, he was more afraid of what Darcy had in her sleeves. It suddenly felt like he was still talking to Tony. To see Darcy talk carelessly about hacking about a highly protected government facility, it felt as if his best friend never left home.

Nothing can be heard but the incredulous huffs by Darcy. The man bowed his head, drowning in his thoughts. She shook her head violently, blinking her eyes to shake the tears that threatened to fall before. It made it clear that there were no more reasons to shed such tears. Not when everybody is thinking that she was just becoming a hindrance. Rhodey just deflected her words saying that sending her away would only protect her. but she does not need protection. She has spent all her life being shunned away for such petty means. No matter what, it seemed that she always gets sent back to New York. At first, Meredith did so to protect her from Tony. Then Tony put her in a boarding school to protect her identity. What does she need protecting from now?

"I'm not going back to New York," she declared, "At least, not yet. Not until he comes back home. Then you can ship me wherever you want." She looked to her side to see the progress bar of her system reaching completion. It's almost done.

"We still don't know why he's missing, Darce," he pursued. She rolled her eyes.

"Then I'll find out." She closed her eyes.

"No. You are not hacking anything or anyone."

Darcy gritted her teeth. In all one second, she stood up and smashed her palms against the glass desk. The screen shook as Rhodey's eyes quivered with worry and anxiety. She looked at him straight with her cobalt orbs—steady and serious. A faint beep echoed through her ears as she uttered her last words to their conversations. After that, Rhodey never heard of her for months.

"You can tell me what to do or what not do, Uncle Rhodey, but we are both pretty sure that I'm not going with your orders," she glared, "My father, your best friend, is out there in the damned desert for god knows why and we don't know if he's okay or not. We could spend all night arguing about me but that won't lead us anywhere. Now, we both have the same goals, and we both the same wishes. So I'm going to tell you this one thing and we can all go on our ways."

Rhodes clenched his fists. He did not like where this was going.

"I'll give you some peace and agree to go back to New York," she sighed as she placed her fingers over her keyboard, "Because judging by the tone of your voice, it seems that I'm acting as a hindrance."

He made an effort to speak up, but Darcy made her typing louder.

"Okay, I get it. I'm a hindrance. I have always been. All seventeen years of my life, I felt like that. Now, I'm not going to just cry and whine about it because I promised someone that I will no longer cry. I will leave Malibu and let you and Mom do your jobs. I'll go to school and finish high school and continue my life normally. In return, I want you, no—I  _need_  you—to engrave this into your brain, sear it, brand it, I don't care."

She tapped 'Enter' and ceased typing. Rhodes remained quiet.

"In return, you will promise me," she breathed out, "that you will leave me alone. No matter what decision I take, and action I make, you will ignore it. I'll go back to New York, and you will no longer hear from me. You won't look for me. You won't worry. I'll be out your hairs, if your promise not to get in mine. If I'm a hindrance to you, then  _please,_ feel free to not be one to me."

_Ms. Darcy, your Automatic Synchronous Transmit Receiver & Information Digitizer is online._

"Darcy? What are you talking about?" Rhodey asked. Before the call ended, he heard a woman's voice. It wasn't Darcy's. It wasn't Pepper's. It was completely unrecognizable. And then he saw a smirk, the smirk he thought that was long gone after Tony's abduction. That smirk, it felt as if he was looking and talking to billionaire himself.

"I'm going to find him, Uncle Rhodey," her last words were, "That's what I'm talking about." She clicked the call to end, and a black screen replaced her uncle's confused countenance. A thin blue line zoomed through the center of the screen as she pushed herself back to her chair.

She sighed in fatigue. She has a lot to do tonight. She has to go pack to go to New York and maybe go through with Pepper's imminent lecture. Rhodey will probably call the assistant right after her abrupt insolent conversation with him.

But everything will be fine. After long sleepless hours, she was finally done. She can finally go through with her plan. And he can finally go back home.

 _Good evening, Ms. Darcy._ The blue line moved as the voice spoke.

She smirked. The voice almost had the same intonation as JARVIS but it was not entirely the same as the old AI. She was more sophisticated—with more class. She can surely get the job done.

"I have big plans for you. Big plans," Darcy greeted back at the screen, "ASTRID."


	2. Everything and Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Darcy doing when Tony was making his first arc reactor?  
> What was Tony doing when Darcy was hacking ten satellites?

**Everything and Nothing**

His heart was prey for destruction. It has always been. It's terribly disfigured, contorted into a paroxysm of terror and sorrow. From the moment he saw her mother's crying face as he closed the door of his dorm room, from the moment that his father's eyes looked at him with contempt, he knew that his heart was bound to be broken. And it did.

As years passed, each fiber, each muscle of that throbbing organ continued to decay, to petrify. It palpitated with growing faults and mistakes. It burned with every stroke of misfortune. It panicked with every death.

A part of him died when he received the news of his parent's death. Then another part of him followed Meredith to the grave. No one knew of the flaming toll that it took Tony Stark's heart. He didn't show it. He never showed it. Upon heartache and heartache was a graceful smirk, or a careless retort. A snap of his fingers come a shiny new car. At the wink of his eyes comes a beautiful girl. His heart has already been broken enough that all it did was pump bad ideas. All it did was pulse with alcohol. All it did was bleed pain.

And yet there was a cure to the disease of his battered, maddened heart. It was a cure he thought it never existed, never to be bought with money. The moment he held the cure in his hands, he knew that God is giving him another chance—another chance to rebuild that listless heart of his. It was another chance to redeem himself, to prove that a man like him can still love.

Darcy was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

He loves that little girl, even more each second and each day. Her existence brought importance to his own. The sense of emptiness was gone, and the poisons of despair faded away upon every smile and laugh the little child radiated. And he vowed to protect that sun of hope with everything he got—just to be sure that little girl will continue to be happy. He'll continue to live as a faulty man, he'll continue to absorb all of the bad things in the world, so that her heart will never be broken like his.

And it lasted for seventeen years. He'd chuckle to himself every time he thinks about it. For seventeen freaking long years, Tony Stark was able to be a father. He was able to teach someone how to walk, how to talk, how to run, and how to integrate circuits. She grew up to be strong, intelligent, and lovable—and it was all because of him. It proved to him that his hands couldn't only create weapons and destruction—it can also create happiness.

For once, he was happy. At least on the inside. His exterior remained its arrogant, self-centered persona but inside he was happy. He didn't show it to anyone, to Pepper, to Rhodey, even to Darcy. Only he can see the happiness he was feeling. It may be a little selfish of him, hell he'd been selfish all his life, but he just wanted to keep that happiness all to himself. He'll contain it in that decrepit, worn out heart of his, keep it inside that defect of man he is, so that it'll never escape—so that content and happiness will never go away.  
But now, it's getting away.

Someone was opening him up. Someone was plunging a hole inside his chest, slowly ripping him apart. His tattered heart was beating rapidly, begging that they don't take it away, that they don't the happiness he took so long to contain. He could feel the air touch the crevices of his lungs, the ridges of his ribs, and it stung. Something was tugging his heart away. Something was clawing it out. It was horribly sharp. It was cruelly cold.

And he was feeling every second of it.

He screamed. He shook. He trembled. He cried. He screamed again. It was a torturous cycle, and it seemed like it was happening for thirty years instead of three hours. Blood poisoned his mouth as he sputtered curses and cries. Unfamiliar hands carelessly clutched his flailing hands to the table. Unrecognizable voices spoke many tongues. Their voices rang in his ear as he desperately tried to free himself to the hell he was chained in. Hands were clawing inside his chest, metal poking his every bone and muscle. He opened his eyes and saw a bright a white light. The light blinded him. It burned his skin. He shook his head violently. His body released jerks and spasms. His muscles tightened and his eyes closed. It wasn't the pain that he was afraid of. He was afraid of going into that white light.

"N-No!" he groaned loudly, but all that came out was a bloodcurdling scream. More of the voices returned to shutting him up. They wanted him to stay quiet. They wanted him to stay still but he didn't care about that. He cared more for the voice that was singing to him. It was a soft, mellifluous lullaby. It was luring him in, it was pulling him out of his trembling body. It was Meredith's voice.

_No. I'm not ready yet._

She was inviting him. Enticing him to come with her.

_Meredith, please._

She kept telling him that it was all going to be all right. Everything will be okay and he will no longer feel the pain. But he doesn't want to go. At least not yet. There is more in his life, even with that dilapidated heart of his. He can still keep on living even if it still was half-beating. He'll do whatever he can so that it won't stop beating. He has already made it this far. So what's the point of dying?

His body convulsed again. The pain was resurfacing. His fingers trembled violently; his muscles became stiff and spastic. Something was on his chest, but he didn't know what it was. It was dauntingly heavy, as if someone has casted a ten-pound weight on him. It felt uncomfortable. It felt itchy. It felt  _metallic._

Then the white light disappeared. Like smoke, it just faded away. He could no longer hear Meredith. Instead he heard someone else. A faint cry. A desperate call. His head whipped to the side looking for that voice.

 _Tony._ It was like a hush. A soft whisper. He wanted it to be louder.  _Tony._  He knew that voice. He knew it very well.  _Tony!_ It wasn't Meredith's. No one was calling him to cross the other side. He was still alive.  _Tony!_ The voice grew louder. Fiercer. Shrilling. Trembling.  _Tony!_ He never heard that voice in that voice. It was always so calm, and serene. Not like this. As if the voice was crying. Begging.  _Tony!_ The pain was spreading again. It burned him. He gasped for air. He tried to scream but nothing came out. His lungs were suffocating. The pain was poisoning him, scratching his heart, gnawing his soul. He wanted the voice to help him. To help him. To touch him. Make him feel better. But it just kept calling him.  _Tony!_

"Pepper…" he thought he called. But all came out was just a quaking scream. The weight in his chest felt heavier.

"He won't stop moving!" someone yelled, "Quick, get the rag!"

Something covered his nose and mouth. He didn't have a choice but to breathe. It was strangely sweet.

 _Tony!_ The voice called again. He aimed to reply but only heartrending screams were muffled by the rag. He gritted his teeth. He bit his tongue. He clenched his fists. His nails cut his own skin. His body shook again. The feeling rippled from his brain through the ends of his spine. It zoomed up and down his quivering vertebrae. Something was shocking him. Like electricity. But he didn't know what. All he knew that the pain was still there. Throbbing violently right in the center of his chest. A hole was cut open in between his ribs and he knew that his heart is vulnerable. His heart yearned for light but something was blocking it. Something was covering that battered heart of his. And he saw no more light. Just black. And the sound of metal clanking. And a shrill voice that reminded him that whatever hellhole he was thrown into, he promised he'll crawl back up.

_DAD!_

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Ms. Darcy, your set arrival to LaGuardia Airport, New York, is in one hour._

Darcy looked up from her laptop, and took a glance of the view on the airplane window. The night was vast, and blank. All the stars weren't in the sky, but down where the skyscrapers hailed their thrones with pride. "Yeah, okay, JARVIS, I'm almost done," she muttered at the disembodied voice as she looked down again on the screen of her laptop. The AI she created was still a little glitchy. It still hasn't reached the evolutionary social level that JARVIS possesses. But it can still do the job needed. In fact, she believed it'll produce more destruction than the old AI. The program was raw, vicious, and highly intelligent. With just one click, she can do more damage than anyone in the world. Well, that's what she believed.

"It's not like I'm doing this for the bad reasons, right JARVIS?" she muttered, "It's for Dad. It's for a good cause." Her eyebrows knitted together.

_Your father would've done the same thing, Ms. Darcy. Just as long as you will not get caught-_

"Always so comforting," she weakly chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't get caught. If anyone traces ASTRID, it'll bounce back to a secluded server of a internet cafe somewhere in Manila, which will spread into various IP addresses in Luxembourg and Venezuela, then masked servers to all federal agencies, just to annoy them, then the program will make its own codec system and become obscure .html files from thousands of pirated sites, locked with a Chinese-Cyrillic encrypted password, and if they get through that, it'll go back to that internet café and repeat the cycle. Let's see how many brains explode during this," she smirked.

_You are always so cunning, ma'am._

"Let's see if they even have the wits to recognize it first. When ASTRID hacks into their mainframe successfully, she would look nothing but a simple bug," Darcy sneered, typing maddeningly, "But that simple bug would just bypass all their firewalls, and access all coordination and navigation data, and within minutes, I'll have control of the satellite."

_I am assuming that we are no longer going for the Indian satellite, Ms. Darcy?_

"If you heard me earlier, JARVIS, you would know," she sighed.

_I do not eavesdrop on private conversations, ma'am._

"Right, keep telling yourself that."

 _The National Aeronautics and Space Administration_   _would be an unimaginable feat, ma'am._

"Then I better get an award after hacking them," she whispered, her fingers crossing over the keyboard, "No, I don't want an award. I just want my dad back." The final algorithm has been installed, and her software is ready to go. She leaned back to her seat, and let her tired blue eyes drifted up and down the screen for one last diagnostics. "Okay, we're going one by one with the satellites, ASTRID," her voice grated, "ASTRID, you up?"

Instead of JARVIS deep, baritone voice was a more feminine, soothing sound. Her English intonations were perfectly sophisticated, cultured, stern yet dulcet sounding. Her diction was smooth like velvet, yet austere and serious.

_Darcy._

"First-name basis, huh?" she feebly smiled, "I'll get used to that. Should I call you dearie now too? Honeybuns?"

_Astrid will suffice, Darcy._

"Oh! You scare me," she mused, "I like it. Great, honey-buns, let's get started. We only have half an hour of flight, so let's go."

_The Chandra X-ray Observatory would be the best first choice. The satellite obtains x-ray images of thousands of planets and galaxies. It would be wise to control this to locate any groups concealed in the massive mountains of Afghanistan._

"All right," Darcy looked to her right, seeing the first glimpses of the city that never sleeps. She knew she shouldn't be in New York now, not in a time like this. People need her. Pepper needed her. Tony needed her. But of course, she'd only be a hindrance. Many people, she predicted, would come by the mansion to bombard Pepper with question. Even more so, Obadiah Stane would be there. She didn't know why but the man gave her the creeps. There was just something odd about him but she still doesn't know what. Maybe if she's done with all of this, she'll have ASTRID check on him. But for now, finding her father is top priority.

_It would also be wise to go into the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center's satellite based in San Diego. They handle all missions above the Middle East region._

"Great, hack them too," Darcy snapped her gaze back to her screen. She took a deep breath. Her decision would be quite risky, but she trusted her new creation.  _"_ What are the satellites hovering above North America and the Middle East?"

_Countless, Darcy. The XMM-Newton module, the TDRS relay satellites, the gamma-ray burst Swift mission, the MIND mission, the SWO Response Department satellite, the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment radiation mission, and ten more._

"Great," she swallowed.

_Which ones shall I put on the data list?_

Darcy fiddled her fingers, and deeply breathed. This was going to be a bad idea. But she has no choice. No choice at all. It's all for her dad.

"All of them. Hack all of them."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Darcy!_

His eyes snapped open. He gasped loudly. He expected blanched ceilings, blinding lights, and that hospital anti-septic smell. But all he saw was the murky atmosphere of dry, suffocating red earth above him. Small, makeshift lanterns hung above him, poorly supplied by electricity. Groaning painfully, he pulled a disturbing tube that was blocking his airways. He pulled the tubes out his nose, and he smelled the staunch smell of metal, of dirt, and… gunpowder. It was strangely warm, and yet strangely cold. What kind of hellhole was he thrown into?

And he was thirsty.  _Parched._

His fingers flexed, missing the absent glass of scotch that left his grasp. His head whipped to the side and he saw a metal cup. He hoped it was water. So he raised his right hand and pulled it over across his body to reach it, but the nerves connecting his brain and hands seemed to be malfunctioning. The container dropped with a loud clank.

As the sound resounded all over the room, he heard a faint grating sound. It was low, yet rough. It sounded like a man was shaving. His eyes found the source quickly and saw a tall, short man in front of a cracked mirror, cutting hid beard with a rusty knife. His dark eyes met his expressionless once. He aimed to sit up, but something was pulling him.

And that weight again. The weight on his chest.

It was heavy.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" the man mumbled. A tinge of anxiety began to cloud his mind. He was confused. He was scared. He was afraid to see the thing that was pulling him. But he looked anyway.

_A car battery?_

The battery sat on a cardboard box beside him. He began to notice the red cable attached to it. So he inched his body closer to it. The mattress under him was uncomfortably hard, as if it was made with wood chips and metal. It creaked loudly as he moved. He arched an eyebrow as he began to feel cable circling around his arm. His dark eyes silently trailed the cables. He frowned.  _It couldn't be._

Then his eyes followed the other end. His heart throbbed with pain as he saw the wires grow closer near his chest. And his heart—it felt  _weird._

Aching fingers stroked the cables that neared his body. He realized that his custom-tailored suit no longer covered him. Instead, he was clad in torn dress pants, and a tattered undershirt. He felt the rough texture of bandages over his chest. He felt the dried blood. His lungs began to hyperventilate as his frenetic fingers clawed the bandages apart. He gasped, and stuttered for there was no longer skin that covered in between his ribs. It was something else. It did not move. It did not beat. It was cold. It was circular. It was rusting.

It was a hole.

Tony gasped loudly. A part of him could not believe the  _thing_ that was embedded in his chest. A part of him stared at it with sheer fascination. The  _thing_ felt heavy. Utterly unnatural. He immediately made a list of priorities in his mind.

First: Get the hell out of this hole.

Second: Get the shit away from his body.

His eyes shivered as he slowly moved his head down to witness the  _thing_  on his chest. His sight became hazy and blurry. A sudden migraine shocked his brain and his heart palpitated quickly in a flux. The man before walked closer to him. He seemed to hold some kind of canned food. The man weakly smiled before him, and shook the can in front of him. Tony couldn't hold it any longer.

"What the hell?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

"What the hell?" she hissed loudly, rubbing her temples. Her body needed sleep. It was screaming for it. So as soon as the plane landed, she hailed a cab back to her home. Her bed welcomed her with open arms, and she immediately succumbed to it. For a moment, she forgot all her fears and worries and blissfully rested after being steadily awake for three days. Unfortunately, that moment only lasted for three hours—three hours until she had to jolt up, screaming for her missing father to come back.

Darcy rubbed her tired eyes hastily. Blue orbs drifted right at the clock. "3:17 freaking am," she sighed heavily, "its okay. I  _love_  insomnia."

Falling back to her bed, she groggily reached for her phone. A faint beep opened the device, earning a small surprised noise from her throat. "Hm. Twenty-seven missed calls and sixty-two text messages. How nice." She wished she could laugh, but hell, she was too tired.

_Sent by: French brat: Allo? Darcy? I've called twenty times. I just heard the news. Please call me back. [Delivered Tuesday, 9:03:29 AM]_

"That's sweet, Jeanne," she muttered, blinking her eyes to adjust to the light of the phone. She scrolled down for more messages.

_Sent by: French brat: Alex called too. And he's angry. Please, Darcy. Call us. [Delivered Tuesday 11:06:54 AM]_

"Charming," she merely replied deadpanned. She scrolled down more with a placid look on her face. Every message started with the same sender. She sighed. Darcy didn't want any attention. She didn't want any comfort or help. She believed she didn't need. She believed she didn't _deserve_ it. Everyone shouldn't be focusing on her. It should be Tony. He was the one who needed it the most.

Darcy found no reason to read the rest of the messages. It all came from the same people. It all contained the same message. She promised herself that she'll call Jeanne back. She'll call everyone back—when her father comes back.

Pushing herself off the bed (although she didn't want to but what was the use, she couldn't sleep) she began to make her way downstairs to the basement. She scratched her curly mane more into a tousled mess, while exasperatingly yawning. She got a whiff of her sweater, and damn, she needed a shower.

"JARVIS?" she called, making her down her spiral staircase, "Rise and shine, Jarvs."

_Progress updates, Ms. Darcy?_

"Not yet. Wait till I'm downstairs. Any missed calls?" she sighed, while stripping off her sweater and throwing it on the stairs. Whatever, she'll clean it up later.

_Fifty-three, Ms. Darcy._

"Minus Jeanne's," she grumbled.

_Eight from Ms. Potts, inquiring if you have landed safely._

"Tell her the plane crashed," she snapped back. The realization hit her hard, earning a stifled gasp from her throat. "I-I didn't mean that."

_Your stress levels are reaching their peaks, Ms. Darcy._

"I'm good. I'm good. Anything else?" she squeezed her eyes shut as she reached the basement. The floor was entirely covered by darkness. But she didn't want to turn the lights. It was too early.

_…And one more message, ma'am. A blocked number. Shall I triangulate it back?_

Darcy knowingly walked towards her computer chair, and lend back. Her lips pursed into a straight line, her blue eyes staring dully at the pitch black shadows of the room. "No. I know who it is. Play it, please."

_Of course… Message received at Tuesday, 10:45:12 PM. Sent to Ms. Darcy Lewis. Caller: unknown._

The message started with an awkward and that fact alone helped Darcy knew who it was. She rolled her eyes at the silence. Of course,  _he_ would call.

"I-uh—Hey D," the voice echoed through the room. Darcy closed her eyes while patiently swiveling her chair left and right. "It's me."

"Yeah, I know it's you, assbutt," she mumbled, rubbing her temples, "JARVIS, fast forward to the substantial part. I have no time for this." The AI complied, and started advancing the message. She swore that the first thirty seconds consisted of only his awkward mumblings. Then it stopped as he started properly talking.

"I saw what happened. It was on the news. Everyone's worried." He sighed, "I know you won't answer. Or ever call back. I know you."

"No, idiot, you don't know me," she grumbled, "You save me once now you think you know all about me? Moron."

The voice took a deep breath, "I also know that you won't stop until he comes back home. I just- you know I can come over, right? If you want to talk. But you won't probably talk. So, yeah, I just wanted to say that um, I hope you're okay... and don't forget to sleep. Okay. Uh, bye."

Darcy gritted her teeth. She was irritated. Angry. Why is everyone so worried about her? They shouldn't be. It was not her who was missing. "Yeah, whatever," she exhaled, while rotating her chair around. The frank darkness that plagued her room was somewhat comforting. To see nothing, and hear nothing was calming. She could make her own world, her own fantasy, and nobody could ever disturb her. But sadly, delving herself into the vast darkness would bring nothing to help. More importantly, she knew that once she succumbs to the shadows, she'll start having nightmares again.

After taking a long sigh, she clapped her hands together. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well, use the time to hack some satellites. "Rise and shine, beauties, we got work to do!" she called while tying all her tousled hair into one big bun. At the spark of her command, the fluorescent lights began to turn on above her one by one, illuminating the glorious stronghold of her workshop.

The whole room was plated with dark grey allow metals and granite. The floor and the ceiling were carbon tiles, indestructible and durable for any explosion and damage. Darcy modeled it after Tony Stark's back in Malibu, just longer and narrower to fit her carriage house dimensions. And instead of a collection of cars, Darcy placed her own inventions as trophies and hallmarks of her achievements. Large seventy-inch monitors covered the walls and on the center was her command center, her private servers and main computer. Tall panes of glass circled her- well everything on the round table was glass. Ever since it's discovery, Darcy created a distinct affinity with graphene. She found a way to perfectly synthesize the carbon-made innovation into bulk and create flexible electrode sensors. With it, she was able to manufacture solar-powered sensors, and highly electrically conductive sheets and incorporate into the Stark's holographic technology. The devices are stretchable and malleable, and completely durable. Darcy shrugged. It was only a prototype. Nothing big.

She clapped her hands again, and the computers powered on, turning on the holographic functions of her workshop. All in one second, screens began to float around her. "JARVIS, could you please present a digital wire frame of the Department of Defense's intel, and also the CIA's- the whole alphabet soup," she swiveled her chair closer to her keyboards, "and ASTRID? Did little Jarvs loop you in?"

_Welcome home, Darcy._

"Great," she rubbed her hands together, "I'll have to yet fully integrate you into the house's mainframe. I guess house-training you will take around, say, four hours?"

_Four hours and twenty-three minutes, to be precise._

"All right, then. I'll get started. JARVIS, how's it looking?" she mumbled, commencing to type.

_The Central Intelligence Agency is currently discussing that the potential of this case to being a terrorist act. The Department of Homeland Security are on high alert, as well as other agencies and bureaucracies._

_"_ What the hell would terrorist need from my dad?" she sighed, her typing going increasingly faster, "Honestly, all he does is drink, frolic with women, and make weapons."

Darcy stopped. Her eyes opened wider. The realization hit her hard like an avalanche.

"Well goddamn, they need weapons," she sighed, "Dad, where are you?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Where are we?" Tony finally asked. He knew he was still in Afghanistan. He could still smell the dry desert around him. But he needed the exact location—coordinates—and maybe he could find or make some kind of make shift radio to send his whereabouts to the nearest army base frequency. The man in front of him did not reply. He simply smiled.

Apparently, he already met the old man once—in a conference in Bern—and he was too drunk to remember any of it. The man said his lecture was surprisingly successful, even heavily inebriated. Tony could feel himself smirk for a moment. He remembered his daughter's remark earlier, of him magically spewing out intelligent stuff unconscious.

The man also was apparently his savior. He gave him that rusting metal on his chest. Tony didn't know whether to thank him, or yell at him for doing such thing. All he knew was that without the guy, three shrapnel of metal would've entered his heart and ended his life. Most importantly, the man could be his ticket out of the place. He, too, was abducted like him—and they both were needed for something.

"Yinsen! Yinsen!" voices rang out, startling both of them. The metal doors of the rock enclave began to bang incessantly, and the man immediately got to his feet and started pulling him out of the bed.

"Come on, stand up, stand up!" he ordered under his breath, as the doors pushed open. Tony saw various men of various races entering the room, all with heavily armed. A big, stocky man, with his face covered with bushy, graying hair, looked back at him with cold, arrogant eyes. His eyebrows inched up haughtily, and his lips were pulled into a smirk. Tony could deduce that he was the leader.

The old man immediately pushed himself down to his knees. He urged Tony to do the same. "Just do as I do," he whispered but Tony remained standing. He looked at the leader with blank eyes. Tony Stark does not kneel for anybody.

"Come on, put your hands up!" he urged again but the genius ignored. He looked more skeptically at the men in front of him. All of the weapons they were carrying—he knew them. And he knew them because he made them.

"Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?" he muttered but the old man didn't answer and just forced him down. His mind was thoroughly in shambles. He was utterly confused and angry. Why do they have his weapons? They are not supposed to have them.

The leader began talking. Tony repressed himself from glaring.

"He says, 'Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America,'" the old man translated, "He is honored."

Tony swallowed. It hurt him deeply to be labeled with such a malicious name. it hurt him more when he realized the name actually suited his line of work. The cold hard truth hit him with great force. The leader looked at him with a prideful glint in his eyes. He wanted to shake it away but the realization was still there. It was true. He was a murderer.

The man started talking again.

"He wants you to build the missile," the old man muttered. Tony replied with an incredulous look.  _What missile?_

"The one that you demonstrated…" he elaborated, "The Jericho Missile."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"The Jericho Missile!" Darcy yelled at her screens, "That should be it, right? It should!" After she figured the true reason behind her father's abduction, she had the overwhelming urge to get the phone and immediately call Pepper or Rhodey. She wanted to yell at them, figured that the piece of information would be helpful. But she soon realized that it wouldn't be much of help. Agencies have already figured that it was a terrorist group that kidnapped the famous manufacturer. To specify which kind of weapon they wanted wouldn't be much intel for someone's location. More importantly, she promised Rhodey that she wouldn't get involved. Well, at least not let him know that she was getting involved.

Therefore, Darcy Lewis-Stark decided that she'll take this valuable piece of information to herself. It wouldn't do much good if she started spreading her own intel around. It would help more if she investigated this information by herself. For the past of couple of days, it was kind of hard to trust anyone.

"ASTRID, how are you doing with the satellites?" she swiveled her chair to view one screen. Four blue windows were opened, all showing various codes and algorithms. It pleased her to see "Access Granted" at every window.

_Chandra X-Ray status: [Access Granted] Firewall breached. Encrypting security codes._

_Space and Naval Warfare System status: [Access Granted] Firewall breached. Bypassing servers…_

_XMM-Newton Module status: [Access Granted] Firewall breached. Defense algorithm bypassed. Encrypting security codes…_

_TDRS Relay Satellite status: [Access Granted] Firewall breached. Security codes encrypted. Internal Program Language encrypted. Defense algorithm bypassed._

_Four out of twelve satellites are ready for your discretion, Darcy. All systems encrypted and transferred to the private servers. All control mainframe locked and installed. [Estimated time of completion]: 53 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds._

"Fantastic," Darcy remarked, smirking, "JARVIS, I think someone just bested you. How do you feel about that?"

_Your AP Physics term paper status: formulating…_

_Your Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition literary criticism paper: editing…_

_Your thesis on the Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells status: [Complete]_

_Thesis on the Rise of the Agenda Prominence of Ethanol in the United States status: [Complete]_

_Thesis on your Analysis of the Diplomatic Strategies for Dealing with Nuclear Non-Compliance status: [Complete]_

_Thesis on your Comparative Diplomatic Strategies for the Promotion of the Norm of Nuclear Disarmament status: [Complete]_

_Thesis on Strengthening the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Armament through the Conglomerate Control status: [Complete]_

_Research on the Effects of UV/Ozone on a Graphene Polymer Film: editing…_

_Thesis on—_

"All right, all right, I get it, JARVIS, you're doing all my schoolwork for me," she shook her head, "It's not my fault I want to get my masters' degrees early."

Darcy blinked her eyes softly and chuckled lightly. She got all her theses ideas from Tony, actually. Not directly, but he was her main inspiration. "Having a father in the core of the bureaucratic weapons diplomacy is not too bad when you're seeking a degree in political science, right Jarvs?"

_As the United States' main weapons contractor bear many fruits, Ms. Darcy. You have used it well to your advantage._

She frowned. "It does too with terrorists, apparently," she sighed, "I could write a thousand thesesdescribing how he could potentially rule all weapons manufacturing companies, combine them into one big thing, and I don't know, maybe reach  _world peace._  But at the same, all his weapons could fall into the wrong hands and potentially make another  _world war._ "

_This conundrum may very well be your next thesis topic, perhaps._

"Yes!" Darcy stared blankly at the air, " _One Man of War and Peace._ Add that on the list, JARVIS. Maybe you know, I could be getting my doctorate with this thesis." She ordered, and then faced her right, "And ASTRID? Would you be so kindly to obtain all recent shipping manifests of all Stark exports and the list of all the weapons? Discreetly."

_Gathering data through the Stark Industries mainframe through the private servers. Estimated time: three hours and 57 minutes._

"All right. While you do that, and hack the satellites, I'm going to monitor the four modules you just bypassed," Darcy grumbled as she starting hovering her fingers over her keyboard. She accessed the control codes of the satellites hacked and began changing the course coordinates. The paths of each satellite were gradually altered to push it over the Middle East's atmosphere. The process took long five hours as she had to do it meticulously. Every wrong move would alert a bug and cause the people back at NASA to find about their hacked satellites. Also, with her in the steering wheel of at least twelve satellites was tedious work. She had eyes from the space, infrared, x-ray, and gamma ray. Her eyelids threatened to fall down, but her mindset overpowered her fatigue. She was finally getting somewhere, and she would not sleep until she has scourged every single corner of Afghanistan for her father.

She wondered what he could be doing right now. She tried to stay away from the morbid thoughts that he could be hurt, or tortured. She knew whoever they were wanted weapons. But why would they need Tony Stark for it? The thought of him being part of a ransom made her shiver. Tony Stark is valuable. Everything about him is a treasure. His name. His brains. His everything. People might put a price in his head, but Darcy knows that he is priceless. No matter how faulty the man is, no one can ever stop her from loving that man.

So if anyone decided to put at least one scratch on his skin, all hell would break loose. She'd do  _anything_  to protect her father. He was there for her for seventeen years. She'll gladly return it tenfold. This thing could go on for months and months. But Darcy will never stop looking for Tony Stark.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark," the old man began to talk. Tony looked at the fire with expressionless eyes. He was sore. He was tired. And he couldn't get rid of the taste of metal in his system. And he has seen it all. He has seen everything that he has been proud of all his life—his precious creations—in the hands of evil. It was a whole arsenal, a whole mountain of his weapons, just stored, contaminated by abominable men with malicious intents.

All his life, even his father, he believed that the things he fabricated and innovated with his own hands would bring some good to the world. As a child, he believed that all his invention would benefit his country just like Howard did. He wanted to continue his legacy—to help the soldiers abroad and keep the nation out of war. Hell, he brought up Darcy with the same belief, that her father was some kind of makeshift hero that brought the evil ones to rest. But what is he supposed to do when all of his pride has fallen into the wrong hands. Blood has been shed—innocent ones—and it's all because of him. A massacre has been committed, and his name is drawn with the all the blood and deaths.

He wanted to hold the pains in his heart. He wanted to alleviate it a little, bring some comfort as his heart became more maddeningly battered and tattered. But he couldn't. Not when a piece of battery was blocking him.

How was he supposed to face everyone now when he comes back?  _If_ he comes back. How will he face Pepper, when she assisted this whole  _crime?_ How will he look at his daughter, when her daddy is an accomplice to this damned violence? How can he face the graves of his parents, where everything that they have built gone and spilled with innocent blood? How is he supposed to trust anyone now?

"But they will never find you in these mountains," the man added with an austere voice. Tony shook his head. He doesn't have to face them. He was going to die anyway.

Right. If he was to die, what would happen? Would these people use the weapons to attack more villages, or even target other countries? If he dies, what would happen to the company? What would happen to Darcy? He sighed.

If he was to die, he wished for Darcy to continue her normal life. Pepper would be smart enough to keep continue the secret. His death would just bring more damage to the Stark name if she inherits it. Yes. Darcy should just normal. She doesn't have to inherit the company. She can have a normal life without him. An  _easier_  one without him. She won't have to be associated with all the evils that he had done. She'll go to college. Have a degree in Political Science like she wanted. Find a great, and normal guy, and get married. Darcy will be happy. Yes. Darcy will be better off without him. Darcy will be better off as Darcy Lewis.

A snap of fingers broke him from his thoughts. The old man was talking to him again. The man frowned, "Look, what you saw," he started, "that is your legacy, Stark."

Tony only stared at the hearth in front of him.

"Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers," he continued to say. The fire flickered with silence. His heart has already decided. No one can convince him.

"Is that how you want to go out?" he added, "Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark?"

No. There is no more defiance. Only death.

"Or are you going to do something about it?" the man scowled.

"Why should I?" Tony retorted placidly. If he does anything, it would only hurt more people. "They're going to kill me, you, either way."

Yeah. He's going to die anyway. What's the use of anything? All he was at the moment was a powerless man. A useless man with a defective heart. He can't do anything else but continue to breathe the same air as these murderers. He wanted to laugh at himself. The pride that used to fill him to the brim was fading away by the second. He never thought he could feel this weak again—like how he felt seventeen years where he was all alone in his mansion. He was all alone again and he will die like that. There was no Meredith to pull him up or Darcy to cheer him up. He was just a pile of skin and bones, dearth of life and energy.

If only something would power his decrepit body. If only something can just bring him back to his feet and put some life into him. Maybe he'll feel stronger. There has to be some kind of pill for that, right? Some remedy to this crisis. Some solution to the problem.

"Well, then," the man spoke again, "this is a very important week for you, isn't it?"

Yes.

It is.

Of course.

As he stared at the burning embers of the hearth, as he observed the coal inhale oxygen and exhale energy, he realized everything. Like the coal burning its embers, he still has the chance. He can stand up again and breathe. Emit energy. Radiate light. Increase power.

And all he needed was palladium.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Palladium, Ms. Lewis," she heard a faint voice but she shrugged it off. No one should disturb her nap. Precious, precious nap. "Ms. Lewis, can you tell us what Palladium is?" Darcy heard it but she didn't reply. "DARCY LEWIS!" the voice yelled.

Darcy immediately sat up with blue eyes ajar, gasping in shock. Her instinct flared up within seconds and answered the question almost robotically. "Palladium! Palladium is a chemical element, chemical symbol Pd, atomic number 46 amu, atomic weight 106.42 grams, electronic configuration Kryptonite 4d-ten, 2, 8, 18, 18. Part of the platinum group metals or the platinoids. Solid phase with a density of 12.023 grams per cubic centimeters. Once melted at one thousand eight-hundred and twenty-eight point zero five Kelvin or one thousand five-hundred fifty-four point nine Celsius, liquid density will become 10.38 grams per cubic centimeter. Boiling point is three thousand two-hundred and thirty-six Kelvin or two thousand nine-hundred and sixty-three Celsius with a heat of fusion of 16.74 kilojoules per mole and a heat of vaporization with 362 kilojoules per mole. It's silvery white characteristics was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 and now it is currently used for catalytic converters, electronics, dentistry, medicine and purification of hydrogen. Crystal structure is face-centered cubic with a paramagnetic ordering and electronegativity of 2.20 and holy balls, I'm rambling again."

She ended panting and gasping for air. She quickly realized that she was no longer at home, but in school. And judging by her surroundings she figured that she should be in her sixth period class. When did that happen?

The teacher in the front looked at her bewildered, the students utterly stunned. Darcy swallowed and blinked. She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to play it cool.

"Uh, yes. Palladium is a chemical element commonly used in electronics," the teacher coughed, "Thank you, Ms. Lewis."

Darcy returned a sheepish smile. She shouldn't have sat on the back. She could see everyone staring at her in disbelief. She raised her eyebrows at them, not liking the attention.

"Yeah, guys. I know I'm beautiful but please turn around and pay attention," she remarked, setting her head down again on her arms to sleep. She was finally getting some sleep and nightmares seemed to not haunt her when she's in school. She sighed. Just five more minutes.

"Ew, what an overachiever," she heard suddenly. Her ears twitched at the sound. That shrilling voice that oozed arrogance—it's been awhile since she had heard that voice. Oh how she did  _not_ miss high school cliques.

"I know babe. What a total nerd," a deeper voice croaked. Darcy rolled her eyes. Usually she'd have enough willpower to just ignore the jerks. But she was severely fatigued, sleep-deprived, confused, and angry. Annoying her would probably be the worst thing to do at the moment.

"Can I help you, Johnson?" Darcy propped her elbow on to her desk and rested her cheek on her hand. She glared at him with storming blue eyes.

The brusque jock gasped, mockingly surprised. "Oooh, Greasy Darcy is feisty today. Did somebody steal your calculator?" He guffawed with his giggling girlfriend.

Darcy's eyes narrowed with a scowl. The guy was ignorant. She doesn't have a calculator. She doesn't need one. She never will.

"What are you doing here,  _Chuck_?" she narrowed her eyes, "This is  _Engineering 101._  Like physics and mechanics, you know? Why is a steroid-brain like you in this class? Did you fail your last elective again?"

The guy's lips curled, and looked reluctantly at his girlfriend. He forgot how sharp the girl was. He took a small pause then scoffed, "What are you talking about? No!"

Darcy raised her eyebrows. It was the girlfriend's turn to retort. "Chuck's guidance counselor encouraged him to explore more electives and create a plan B just in case he doesn't go into sports," she hissed.

"Mr. Jefferson said this is the Plan D," she heard the guy whisper to his girlfriend. Darcy scoffed out loud, earning everyone's attention in the class.

"More like Plan D for dumbass," she jeered. The whole class gasped amusingly at her daring remark. Darcy Lewis is fighting back against the two most popular people in the school. But Darcy Lewis never fights back. Darcy Lewis has always been the quiet one. She didn't barge into people lives, as people never encroached into hers. She has been known for ignoring the couple and their arrogant comments and staying in the engineering room by herself. For all the four years that they've been with the girl, this is the first time they see her actually talk.

"What's your problem, Grease?" the girlfriend spat back.

"Why are you still talking to me, Sissy?" Darcy sighed, "I thought we're done here. Let me have my nap."

"My name is Sierra, stupid!"

"Says the one who got a 42 in her Trigonometry test," Darcy breathed out, putting her head once again. The class was enjoying this. Sierra's eyes opened wide and blushed. "Who told you that!?"

"I graded your test, woman," Darcy merely replied, "Your teacher asked me to so his eyes doesn't have to bleed looking at your mistakes."

"You!" Sierra shrieked, standing up , sparking a riotous reaction from the class. All of them are chanting for the two girls to fight. Sierra made her towards the back where Darcy sat, but Darcy remained unfazed.

"…are going to cry to your daddy again?" Darcy finished her sentence. Sierra growled and prepared herself to pounce at the girl, but her boyfriend grabbed her in the arms.

"No! Let me go Chuck!" Let me have at the nerd!" she screeched again. Darcy remained sitting on her seat.

"Leave me alone, Sierra," Darcy exhaled. All the yelling was giving her another headache. She has been up all night monitoring the satellites. "And stop yelling, you're making my ears bleed."

"Ms. Lewis, Ms. Jones, enough!" Darcy heard her teacher bellow. The girl kept on screaming.

"At least I have a Dad, you freak!"Sierra screamed, "At least I have a father that is always there for me when I call! But you don't because nobody loves you, you good for nothing loser!"

Darcy raised her head and finally looked at the screeching girl. The whole class grew quiet, even the teacher who was trying to stop the yelling. Chuck took a small step back, and swallowed. Sierra stop yelling, and raised her eyebrows. It was the first time she saw Darcy glare. It was the first she saw such anger.

"What are you implying,  _Jones_?" Darcy enunciated slowly, emphasizing every word with a hiss. Sierra stopped breathing for a second, abashed by her sudden change in tone. Then she pulled her scowl into a smirk. Finally, she was getting a reaction from the stoic Darcy Lewis.

"I'm saying that nobody loves you. Nobody," the girl's grew wide with power, "Even your parents. That's why you're so alone. Yeah. I heard it from the teachers. You're an 'independent.'"

Darcy's eyes grew wider. She applied to the school as an emancipated minor. She urged it during her discussion with Pepper and Tony. The two adults never liked the idea but they agreed anyway to use it as a cover. As much as they didn't like it, the two knew they couldn't be with Darcy one hundred percent of the time. And to be so far away as New York, using the title as an independent was the only way for her to be alone. But nobody knew that she was one except the staff.

"You're probably the kid that no one ever wants," Sierra added with cackle, "that's why you wear such shitty clothes."

Darcy looked down to view her sweater. She recalled Pepper giving it to her last month for the winter. It was a simple turtle neck.

"This is a  _Valentino_ ," she asserted. Darcy was surprised but she didn't show it. She just sounded like Jeanne for a moment, "And don't talk about my mother like you know her, asshole." The class gasped again. Everyone was stunned. What the hell was happening?

Sierra laughed. "So what if it's designer,  _bitch_? You're mother probably bought it in Goodwill with the money she whored up. And your father. I heard your dad abandoned you. I heard that he was a homeless drunkard that slept with your mother one night and you're the child. And then your mom was so disgusted by you so she sent you away. That's why you're such a nerd so that you can make up for the freak show of a life you hav-

"SHUT UP!" Darcy screamed, standing up. Her voice was so shrill and loud that even the classes next to hers heard it. She ignored the pain as she slammed her hands on her desk. Every one winced. Darcy finally had it. She couldn't take it anymore. She has to tell it. It was about time everyone should know.

"Do what you want!" Darcy closed her eyes, then opened them with a glare, "Do what you with me. Call me a nerd, call me a freak. Throw food at me like you all did back at freshman year. Cover my homework in the motor oil like in 10th grade. Egg my house like last year. Torment me. Make me cry. Do everything you want. But  _never._  I tell , ever insult my family."

Everyone listened to her silently. No one dared to stop her. Some looked down as if they had a share as Darcy's tormentors. Some looked at her with somber sympathy.

"M-my mother," Darcy continued, stuttering but with a stronger voice, "She's not even my  _real_ mom, but you know what? She became more than that. She  _did_  more than that. She took me in. She accepted me. She loved me like her own daughter. She worked so hard to care for me. She worked day and night to make sure I'm safe. She wouldn't sleep for hours, even days. She sacrificed so much… even the chance to have her own family."

Darcy took a deep breath. It was true. Pepper could have had her own family. She could have brought her into adoption or just dropped her off on Tony's porch. She could have just stayed as a mere assistant and lived her own life. But no, she decided to stay. She took Darcy. She accepted her. She accepted Tony. She took what fate gave her, and nurtured it, treasured it, loved it. Pepper Potts made her own version of family and stuck with it.

"And my dad, my father," she added, "He may be a drunk but he's a smart drunk, okay?" She could feel the tears clouding her vision as she recalled the times she saw Tony drink. She recalled the good times. "He's trying, you know? He's trying so hard so that I can have a better future. He thinks life is crap but he's making it better for me. He didn't even want to send me here. He wanted me homeschooled!"

"And he didn't abandoned me," she wiped her eyes, "He's just  _missing._ "

Sierra blinked. She didn't know what to say.

"And I will find him. I tell you, and all of you," Darcy proclaimed, switching her gaze throughout the class, "You can shit on my life as much as you want to feed your low standards of happiness. But never talk about me and my parents like you know us. You don't know me. You don't know about my life. And you never will."

This didn't need to happen. She didn't need more of the crap. She went to school, for god's sakes, so that she can take a small break. Because she knew that at home, she would glue her eyes again at the monitors. But misfortune followed her again and now she's standing there with all eyes on her, as she ranted about her feelings. Everybody just stared at her as she panted her last statement. Chuck took her girlfriend out the class and the teacher went to go to get the principal. Darcy figured that more trouble would ensue once they call Pepper about this incident. She sighed again. Then she gritted her teeth as she reached for her bag on the floor and headed for the door. Her nap was done. Her break was finished.

She doesn't need any of this.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Okay, we don't need this," Tony muttered as he threw the piece of metal over his shoulders. The old man just watched him dismantle all the weapons, all  _his_ weapons, to get just another small piece of metal. He was glad that the genius decided to change his mind and started working. With just a snap of fingers, Tony stood up with a plan. He didn't talk. He didn't think. He just worked. And the old man stayed. He followed him around and translated for him to get all the materials he needed. Besides the sheer fascination of being in the same room as the genius billionaire, he felt a small sense of comfort from the guy. He didn't know what it was but something changed his mind. He didn't expect from an industrialist like him but he knew. He knew that Tony Stark wasn't just fighting for his life. He knew that Tony Stark is fighting for someone else.

"What is that?" the old man asked as Tony plucked a strip of metal from one his missiles. Tony didn't look at him and merely replied, "That's palladium, 0.15 grams."

Tony noticed the old man look at him with an eager, curious face. He smirked inwardly. The way the man's eyes looked at the palladium with anticipating eyes reminded him of Darcy.

"We need at least 1.6, so why don't you go break down the other 11?" he muttered. The old man moved right away, and quickly broke down the rest of the missiles. Then he looked around. Where's the red dirt?

Once they have melted off the palladium and smelted it into a thin circle, Tony realized that he has done it again. He realized that his legacy didn't have to be just weapons. It didn't have to be destruction. It didn't have to be war.

As he stared at the glowing device, he built from a box of scraps, he determined his real purpose. The arc reactor didn't have to be something to calm the hippies down. It didn't have to just power a factory. It could power him. It could make him better. It could make that maddened, tattered heart of his useful again. It could be energy. It could be life.

"What do I call you?" Tony asked as he observed his latest creation on the table. The old man looked up to him, surprised. He realized that for the week that they've been together, it was the first time Tony asked for his name. "My name is Yinsen," he smiled. He figured introductions are never late.

Tony flatly smiled. "Yinsen," he nodded, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," he chuckled. He shook his head then noticed the blue-glowing device on the table, "That doesn't look like a Jericho missile."

"That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor," Tony mused, "I got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart."

"But what could it generate?" Yinsen asked, curious.

Tony lightly scoffed. "If my math is right and it always is… thee gigajoules per second."

Yinsen's eye grew wide. "That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes." For this past days, he knew that he was spending time with the great Tony Stark. The man who has one single strand of hair insured for a million dollars. The womanizer. The billionaire. But he never really realized the genius that was sitting beside him. It was only up until now that he truly saw the man that created the brains of Stark Industries. It was only up till now that he realized how amazing Tony was.

The genius merely shrugged in return and set the arc reactor on the desk. His reactor had another purpose and he planned to follow it through to the very end.

"Or something big for 15 minutes."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"15 minutes. Give me 15 minutes," Darcy groaned, "Okay, how about 10? 5? Mom, let me explain!" She yelled as she inched her shoulder up more to keep the phone in her ear. Right after the fiasco in school, the principal immediately notified Pepper of the situation. It was not long after Darcy got home when the phones started buzzing.

"There is nothing to explain, Darcy!" Pepper yelled through the phone, "You disrupted class and insulted a schoolmate!"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "She started it first!" she snapped back, "She and her dick of a boyfriend started everything! What did I even do?! I just told them to fuck off!"

"Darcy Lewis-Stark!" her mother gasped, "How could you say that?!"

"Okay, fine. I didn't tell them to fuck off," she clicked her tongue. "But she made fun of me! She made of you! You and Dad!"

A silent pause filled the conversation. Darcy took the time to continue on her satellites and monitoring the movement in Afghanistan. Then she stopped when she heard a small, exasperated sigh.

"Darce…" her mother murmured softly, "You're a good child, in fact, you're the best one out there. But you know—

"I know, I know," she interjected, "I'll go to school tomorrow and apologize."

"No, not that. But you should anyway," Pepper weakly chuckled, "I'm saying that you're a good kid. But you're not perfect. Clearly there's something wrong and we should talk about this."

Blue eyes narrowed as her face contorted into anger. "Of course, there's something wrong, Mom! Dad's missing!"

A part of her expected Pepper to somehow tear up and cry. But all she heard was a calm whisper. "And we're doing everything we can, Darce. We are. Your Uncle Rhodey called and you know he's already back on his feet looking for him. Everyone is looking for him. We all share the same pain and I want you to know that you don't have to do this all alone."

The girl sighed as she closed her eyes. "I-I know. I'm sorry," she whispered, "Well, I'm okay now, I guess."

"Are you sure, honey? My meeting with Board ends in 2 hours. Do you want me to come and—

"No, no, Mom. It's okay. I'm okay," she blurted out. If Pepper comes here and found out that she's been investigating Tony's disappearance for five days now and hacked more than ten satellites to find him then it would be the end of her life. "Really. I'm fine. H-how about you? Are you okay?"

Pepper laughed weakly. If only she could laugh wholeheartedly. "Yeah, I'm good, Darcy."

The two shared a moment of silence—the type that a mother and daughter would only share. They could be together right now, embracing the pain away. But they both have responsibilities and duties and they have to stick to it. Tony may be missing, but it didn't mean that they shouldn't working.

"Hey, Mom?" Darcy began, voice trembling with hesitation.

"Yeah, honey, what is it?" Pepper replied, worried.

"Do you think…" she gulped, "Do you think he'll be back—

"Of course, he'll be back, Darce, you know that."

"I know, I know but I mean will he be back for my—

_Access Denied. Access Denied. Security Breach Imminent. Data Triangulation Reversed._

ASTRID's voice began to boom throughout the room. Her eloquent, British accent rang like an alarm, knocking Darcy off her chair. The girl mouthed a small curse and immediately got back on her seat to see what was happening. The screens around her blinked red and white as the letters of the AI's message flashed repeatedly. Her jaw slacked open as she read the messages appearing on her screens. The text was appearing fast and she knew exactly what was happening.

"Shit!" Darcy hissed, pulling herself closer to her desk, "How did this happen?!"

_It seems that the M.I.N.D. satellite contained a firewall that automatically traces any foreign bugs into their original servers._

"Damn it. What kind of satellite is this?!" she groaned, typing faster, "It's bouncing to all the obscure servers in Manila and Venezuela." Her mind needed to process all the things at once. She never had this kind of problem before. No one should be able to find her virus. Each algorithm and code of that virus was meticulously designed by her and she designed it to be foolproof. And even if someone found her bug, they shouldn't know that it's a virus much less trace it back. The only one who would be able to throw her off guard like that was someone much smarter than her or someone with more technology than her small private workshop in her small apartment. But it shouldn't be Tony. Tony was somewhere else. Someone else was challenging her. Darcy could feel herself smirk. Whoever this is, she'll find out who and crush that bastard.

"Darcy? Darcy, honey? Hello?" she heard a faint voice. For a second, she wondered where the voice was coming but then the instant realization hit her. She forgot that she was still talking to Pepper. Frantic, she stood up, her fingers still glued to her keyboard, and tried to find her phone. She then felt a soft nudge on her arm. It was DUMMY, holding the phone with his claw. Darcy smiled at the robot, and leaned her ear towards the phone.

"Hey, Mom, sorry, I dropped the phone," she laughed nervously, eyes staring into the screens, frenetically typing.

"Who was that? I heard a woman's voice," she asked anxiously. Darcy mouthed, "Crap" and just laughed, "Uh, you heard that, huh? Wow, congratulations. You have good hearing."

"Darcy," Pepper rolled her eyes. She was skeptical now, "What are you doing?"

Blue eyes drifted left and right, up and down, looking for an excuse. She couldn't really say, "Hey, Mom. I made another artificial intelligence named ASTRID and I hacked ten federal-governed satellites and now I'm getting hacked by one and might possible go to jail once I turn 18."

"Uh, I… am…. Watching a movie!" she snapped her fingers, nodding, "Yeah, I'm watching  _I, Robot_ , you know Will Smith, 2004?"

"Uh…huh."

"Totally inaccurate by the way," she blurted out, "They think that humans are so stupid that they would have to wait 35 years to create robots. I mean look at Dad, he made JARVIS when he was 20. And their central intelligence didn't even have any emotions to fully understand the moral justifications of humanity. I mean look at DUMMY, he's so cute. And it just took me three days to create AS—I mean—a lot of robots. "

"Babe, you're rambling again," Pepper sighed, "You ramble when you're tired."

"Yea, of course, I'm tired. You know school… and stuff," Darcy mumbled quickly, "So I guess I should go to sleep, right? Yea, I should, I still have school tomorrow. Okay? You should go to work or something or go rest. Yeah, you should rest. I'll go to sleep. Okay, mom? I love you, sweet dreams, merry Christmas, bye."

Pepper didn't get the chance to say goodbye when Darcy hung up. She exhaled loudly, while looking outside the car window. She was on her way to a board meeting, when she received the call from Darcy's school. It set a precedent. She was sure because Darcy was always the quiet one who reservedly work by herself in the corner. She was just like Tony. He'll only talk when he needs to, otherwise he'll be in his workshop doing whatever he wants. But to actually hear that her daughter stood up to yell at a classmate was surprising. Darcy is never angry to anything or to anyone. Whoever insulted her must have insulted her really badly.

"Is everything all right?" she looked up to see Happy's worried eyes staring at her from the rearview mirror, "Darcy ok?"

Grey-blue eyes smiled feebly at the man, "She's okay, Happy. Just tired."

"We all are," he breathed out, switching his gaze back to drive. Her smile flattened as she viewed Malibu's lights passed by her. Amber lights glowed over her, flickering as they drove. She began to see a reflection of a woman. Her hair was neatly tied back into an elegant ponytail. She wore a simple black suit and a small smile. But the woman didn't look happy. There were bags under her eyes and her eyebrows are knitted tightly together. The woman has been crying. Pepper tried to tell the woman to stop crying. She wanted to tell her that everything will be fine. But the woman refused to believe. The woman felt useless. The woman felt powerless. She wasn't a genius. She couldn't invent. She was just a normal assistant. What can she do? What was her purpose in this story? What was her role?

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Good roll, good roll," Yinsen commented as they played backgammon together. Tony just showed him the blueprints—their plan to escape. He recalled him calling it 'Mark I' and modestly saying that it was just a prototype. He shook his head at the thought. The man was able to build a self-sustaining energy reactor in a span of two days. That fact alone shocked him. But to devise a whole new plan using a few pieces of wax paper, and scraps of metal—it was a whole new thing. Tony showed him the materials needed, the process, and the final product and it was all built on top of his head. Tony Stark was absolutely, incredibly, unbelievably amazing.

"You still haven't told me where you're from." Tony muttered, rolling the dice. Yinsen looked up with a flat smile. This man amused him. Just looking at him by the exterior, Tony looks a normal, self-centered rich man. The air of arrogance and pride breathes out through the pores of skin, albeit he was completely covered in sweat and dirt. But there was something about him that tells him that there's another story to that chapter. This man is not all about himself. This man, in front of him, is thinking not just for himself. This man can care.

"I'm from a small town called Gulmira," he grinned, "It's actually a nice place."

Tony looked at him somberly. This old man doesn't deserve to be in this hellhole. "Got a family?"

"Yes," Yinsen smiled, "And I will see them when I leave here."

He definitely doesn't belong here. Tony wanted to blame the terrorists—this group called the Ten Rings for doing such evil. He wanted to curse them and make them pay. But he realized they are not the ones completely at fault. He is. This wouldn't have happened if he could only see. For all these years, he was blind. He blindly trusted the government that his weapons would only be used by the United States. He blindly trusted his company for distributing them. He knew that someone is working right under his nose. If only he watched over his the Industry more carefully, nothing like this would've happened.

"And you, Stark?" Yinsen asked.

"And me what?"

"Do you have a family?" Tony stared at him.

Yes.

Yes, he does.

He has Darcy. He wanted to tell him about his little girl. Seventeen years old. In high school. He wanted to tell him that she was just as smart as him, funny too. He wanted to brag and say how she created her first robot at 5 years old, about how she was the smartest in her school. He wanted to tell him how she has her mother's face, and yet how she smirks like him. How she plays the piano, how she protects her friends, how she laughs. He wanted to tell Yinsen yes.

But he couldn't.

"No." he said blankly.

"No?" Yinsen raised his eyebrows. Tony shook his head. Maybe he'll tell him someday. Make him meet Darcy one day. But not now. Not in a time like this. Not when there's at least ten cameras watching him—terrorists watching his every move, probably listening to his every word. He needed to be alone in all of this. He can't involve Darcy. He can't involve that one last thing that still hasn't fallen into pieces. This was his own problem and his own problem to fix.

Yinsen chuckled. "So you," he started, taking the dice from him, "You're the man who has everything. And nothing."

Yes. Let everyone think that way.


	3. A Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, some shit went down and I lost inspiration. I got rejected by my dream school and I saw no point to writing anymore. But I won't give up. That's not me. But since I drowned myself in three months of self-deprecation, I lost the power to actually write well. So yeah, this is my excuse. Sorry for the late update and for the horrible chapter. Bear with me. I just need to get my shit together.

[original] CD return %HomeDrive%\  
SET creation=1  
GOTO flood 1 (id) : flood1  
MKDRIR creation%karma%location  
SET/a safety/automatic [return] recip {  
-coordinate[launch] loop reroute }  
Recipient echo: charge/% autorelease}]" recip= 4.7555N/73.9687W  
echo live: (ini) synchro  
[loop] create% abort location 45.222./result else eight  
ECHO GOTO . lux. coor-set/live  
[recipient auto release]  
recip= route coordinate [id]:  
exception=:19901

[start]: 0x0002320, 00348x0011; 000101001010  
end

INITILIAZE...

[initfile_ }

Automatic Synchronous Transmit Receiver booting...  
Information Digitizer processing... [ON]  
\- ECHO ON ASTRID Initialized: starting run [loops] comm&5  
moving files...\ = TRACK [[init RE]]  
callFIND - scanreveal #%"327"  
ECHO SET magic3=1 bypass  
null [void] block%/ ...5%  
local FUNCT [ID] {  
var r = D%16...cff:  
var result: .001 }  
if (d== reverse) null:{all}  
else result = live

server[local]001001111000011100#ai

finalizing...  **[ACCESS DENIED]**

Fourteen days. For fourteen days has she been stuck in her workshop and for those fourteen days she was in torture. Her life has been changed—and she knew it will never be the same. At least to her.

Every day still remained its routine hackneyed life but a void continued to be unfilled. She'll wake up every morning at six a.m. and take a shower. All the cleaning robots would turn on automatically and clean the floors. One would water the plants in the garden; one would clean the bathroom, or maybe take out the trash. Dummy would prepare her toast and smoothie as he was programmed to do daily. JARVIS would start the day with the weather forecast, and her schedule. She'll go to school, ignore Sierra, and lock herself in the Engineering Department. Then, she would drive back home right after school either in her beat up '69 Camaro [that she bought with her own money she won in a robot competition] or her hot rod red Vespa and do her homework in one hour. Consequently, she would prepare dinner with Dummy and watch TV with the rest of her inventions. It may seem like a lonely life inside a lonely house but Darcy was all right with it. She accepted it and she liked it. She believed that it was the only way to see and feel what Tony did back when he was all alone himself. It was a part of her scientific curiosity and part sentimentality to see what it was like to live with such monotonous robots. In fact, she preferred these robotic prototypes more than humans—more manageable, and amiable. Moreover, it was not entirely lonely in the midst of her little house of solitude. Even with all the machines to accompany her, there was still someone who was there with her. Every day, at exactly 9:00 pm, JARVIS would stop all programs and processes and link to the television in the living room. He then would start a satellite-video call with her parents—Tony and Pepper. They would talk about their day at the hour or more, talk about their feelings, share stories and jokes—and it became like a tradition for them. A routine that seemed to never break.

But now, tradition was broken. Tony is nowhere to be found. Pepper is probably flooded with work. Even Uncle Rhodey was not there to say hi. Now, Darcy was staring at a screen—a blank screen that says, 'Call Failed.'

_Shall I try again, Ms. Darcy?_

Darcy frowned. "No need, JARVIS, thank you," she sighed, pulling her fingers back to her keyboard, "L-let's just go back to work." She stared up again to see the buffering screen. Still no answer. "Yeah, let's just go back to work… ASTRID?"

_All satellites are stable, Darcy. Module A1 is monitoring the upper quadrant of Bagram Air Base for updates on Colonel Rhodes. Runner system A2 is above the lower east coordinates of Kabul and Nuristan. Detecting inbound radio frequencies… unsuccessful._

"I gave him two weeks, this man," she shook her head, "I gave him two  _damn_  weeks and he still hasn't made a radio. If we don't get a signal now, I will be convinced that he's just taking a vacation in the desert."

_There is high chance of Mr. Stark is injured, ma'am._

"Shut up. Nobody asked you," she snapped back. She didn't want to be mean to the AI but she didn't want to hear that kind of crap. She didn't want to believe it either. It's an idea that she refused to think about these past weeks. Tony Stark  _could be_  injured. He  _could be_  seriously hurt and unable to escape to wherever he was thrown into. But she didn't want to think about that. It'll only depress her even further.

"ASTRID, how's Satellite 10?" she breathed out as rubbed her temples, "The annoying one."

_Reverse Triangulation is still in process. Rerouting .bat files to secure servers._

"All right," she sighed, "I'll probably OD on Red Bull anyway so I guess I'll take over."

_Switching to manual control._

GOTO flood 1 (id) : flood1  
MKDRIR creation%karma%location  
SET/a safety/automatic [return] recip {  
-coordinate[launch] loop reroute }  
Recipient echo: charge/% autorelease}]" recip= 4.7555N/73.9687W  
echo live: (ini) synchro  
[loop] create% abort location 45.222./result else eight

ECHO GOTO . lux. coor-set/live  
[recipient auto release]  
recip= route coordinate [id]:

exception=:19901  
[start]: 0x0002320, 00348x0011; 000101001010

end INITILIAZE...

[initfile_ }

Automatic Synchronous Transmit Receiver booting...  
Information Digitizer processing... [ON]

\- ECHO ON ASTRID Initialized: starting run [loops] comm&5  
moving files...\ = TRACK [[init RE]]  
callFIND - scanreveal #%"327"?  
ECHO SET magic3=1 bypass  
null [void] block%/ ...5%  
local FUNCT [ID] {  
var r = D%16...cff:  
var result: .001 } if (d== reverse) null:{all}  
else result = live

server[local] 001001111000011100#ai

finalizing...  **[ACCESS DENIED]**

The night passed like a breath. To Darcy, the breath was more like a scowl, a never-ending grimace as the night wasn't as productive as she hoped to be. Her eyes burned every time she saw 'ACCESS DENIED' and her muscles ached as it reminded that her body needed sleep. But she continuously reminded herself what her purpose was in this adversity. It was the sheer vexation that a simple thing could block her success kept her eyes open and awake. Well, that only lasted for a few more hours and her body finally succumbed to the fatigue. The outside world progressed without her as she stayed still inside her basement. The sun went up and she didn't know or care. Sunlight was her friend, back then when she used to live in Malibu. Her entire room drowned in the glowing warm rays of golden light. She used to see the dust particles sway to its dance, and hear the ocean waves crashed under her. But now, the light she saw was the blinding glow of her computers. And it was dark in there. It only contained the dark and vast cellarage of her mind, full of letters and numbers. There were no more lullabies from oceans but the beeps of her programs and JARVIS' voices booming throughout her workshop.

 _Ms. Darcy, it is 7:30 am.  
"_HOLY SHIT!" she yelled, snapping her eyes open. She could hear alarms echoing throughout the house, machines beeping loudly, and robots moving around. She found herself again drooling over her keyboard, feeling the cold glass surface touching her cheeks. Her curly hair sprawled over her head as she straightened her back quickly. "7:30?! School starts in 20 minutes, JARVIS! Why didn't you wake me up!?" she groaned as she ran upstairs to her room. The house was loud with her grunts and the machines' beeps. The TV turned on automatically, switching to the news channel. The intercom played Apocalyptica. The lights all switched on.

_I did, Ms. Darcy. Twenty-three times._

Darcy groaned louder, and started scrambling through her closet. She found an old sweater and just put it over her t-shirt. She brushed her teeth quickly, and splashed water on her face. She'll take a shower later. Right now, she needed to leave.

"JARVIS, can you order pizza for dinner later? And I need to find my iPod!" she yelled, running to her living room. She began rummaging through a closet hastily.

_Your device is on your desk in the workshop, Ms. Darcy._

"No not the new one! The old one! You know the one I made when I was thirteen or something?" she yelled back, still looking, "I know I left it somewhere in this floor! I need it! It had old reference files that I got from Dad!"

_All your past accessories are stored in the library store room._

"What the hell? I have a storeroom there? Since when?" she cocked her head, ceasing on digging through the closet. While running up the stairs, hopping over the small machines cleaning the floor, she pondered. She doesn't remember any rooms in the library.

_Ms. Potts required a temporary location for Ms. Meredith Lewis' belongings that she left upon her passing._

Darcy's face relaxed into a flat smile. Now, she remembers. When she first moved into the house, Pepper already renovated it with a lot of furniture and books. She informed her that they were old, used ones—ones that she found in Meredith's apartment. So the bed she slept in, it was Meredith's, the mugs, the cutleries, the couch, the vases, the paintings—all her mother's. It helped a lot, to have some of her mother's belongings with her. Darcy felt like she got to know her mother's quirks and antics, living with all the things she touched. She sipped the same cup Meredith would drink in the morning. She hugged the pillows in which she and her infant self slept in. She read all the books that she read. A profound bond, she made with this furniture, an unbreakable link she made with her biological mom.

"O-oh yeah," she hummed as she reached the library floor. The storage door was hard to spot for it mimicked the same wood finished as the bookshelves. She wondered how she could forget about the door. Besides Pepper, she practically stored everything in there.

She took a deep breath and twisted the knob open. A loud gasp resonated throughout the room as a number of boxes began to fall over her. She let out a pained curse, huffing all the dust all over the air, attracting the attention of the robots in the house. All the cleaning machines began to crowd around the mountain of boxes over their dear master.

_Ms. Darcy? The stress levels in your-_

"I'm okay!" she breathed out, pushing her arms out through the pile. "I am all right!" She waved off the robots away, knowing that they wouldn't really help when they don't have any limbic capabilities. They were only made to suck out the dust particles in the atmosphere. "I just forgot that I compressed all my shit in here," she murmured, sitting up to view at the mess she produced, "I also forgot where I put that freaking bag."  
She began rummaging through the pile of boxes, throwing anything she doesn't need over her head. She found a number of robot parts, mechanical arms and legs, old books, wires, various blowtorches, tools, hats, but no bag. She took a moment of silence to stop and just think about where she threw it in exactly. It didn't take more than 10 seconds until she remembered.  
"Ah! I put it in the Christmas box!" she cheered, diving into the boxes again. She smiled widely as she pulled a brown satchel from an orange box. Darcy made no haste to check the bag, and continued to run downstairs towards the door. She took her bag, and the breakfast that DUMMY prepared.

"Okay, JARVIS, I found it! I have to go now, I'll be late," she yelled at the air as she ran out of the house," I'll just take my bike because there will be traffic and I can't be late or I'll get detention. Again. I'll clean up the mess later, okay? Oh and ASTRID, transfer the data into my laptop via ZIPSAT. I'll work on the shit later, okay? Okay."  
Darcy didn't bother to look back, and close the door. It shut close on its own, and the animated house became quiet again, dark and still—waiting for their master to come home again.

* * *

The first half of the day went by fast. Really fast. She wished the morning was longer. So she could have more time. So she could sleep a little longer.

But not everything went her way, as usual, when her Calculus teacher woke her up that it was time for lunch. Darcy dragged herself into the courtyard to buy a small sandwich. Since the library was closed today, she figured she'll do most of work in her usual table. After all, it was a beautiful April afternoon. She knew she has spent too much time locked inside her basement. Maybe doing work under the sun would do her some good… maybe even give her a tan.  
"Wait, no, tans are for douchebags," she thought to herself as she sat on the farthest corner of the courtyard. A lot of students were also outside for lunch, enjoying the sun. Darcy knew they enjoyed it, seeing Sierra lounging on a table dead center of the area. She basked while barking her usual cackles with her boyfriend. Her friends surrounded her too, laughing and making fun of the people around them. Darcy rolled her eyes at the sight, and proceeded to sit alone. She set her sandwich atop her books and took out the contents of her bag: her smoothie, laptop, logbook, earphones, glasses, and the satchel. She took a bite of the sandwich and a sip of her smoothie as she opened her laptop. After putting on her earphones and glasses, she was ready to work.  
 _logon: [A.S.T.R.I.D.] initialize… successful/_

Darcy took a couple of minutes to set the coding for the satellite. She chuckled to herself as she noticed that as the other normal teenagers are out there socializing, talking about clothes and nails, and she was just sitting there nonchalantly hacking a federal satellite. She shrugged.  _No big deal._  
"Now, where was that old thing," she murmured to herself, digging her hand inside the satchel, looking for her old iPod. She hoped her father's old files would be able to help with the programming. She also hoped that her old songs were still stored in it. Maybe some throwback songs would comfort her in this conflict. She took out the first thing that she could grab and she expected the iPod, but instead she found a hard piece of paper. Confused, she pulled the paper out of the bag, and opened it.

It was a card—a Christmas card, from her Uncle Rhodey. It was simple, blank ink upon white cardstock wishing her a Merry Christmas, and hoping that she'll enjoy the encyclopedias she received. Darcy smiled at the memory. It was her 16th Christmas and everybody in her little family was present in her room in the Stark Mansion. It was occasions like that made her cherish the group of remarkable people that cared for her. May it be a birthday, or Christmas, she can never forget that these people were the ones who were with her from the beginning and will stay with her until the end. And she knows she'll willingly do the same for them.

Now this bag has all of the gifts she received that day. She placed the card on top of her books and dug another hand into the satchel, pulling out her gift from Uncle Happy. She wanted to laugh out loud. They were instructional videos on self-defense and a how-to manual on how to use a Taser. Uncle Happy may seem tough, but inside, he's a big worry prick. Putting the DVDs aside, she pulled out Pepper's gift. Her gifts were always so specials, something that would be unique to Darcy and Darcy only. She smiled thoughtfully at the book on her hands, leather bound made from Italy, adorned with intricate embroidery by the finest in Macau. It seemed so extravagant for a calculations book, Darcy didn't dare to think to use it every day, considering that the fate of her current logbook is tattered and full of inane formulas she makes up during classes. She was saving it for more important innovations in the future.

She smiled. Maybe she'll put ASTRID's codes in the book.

Putting Pepper's gift aside, she took one good look of her satchel and grinned wider. She knew whose gift it would be if she was to put her hand inside that bag. Her fingers tingled with excitement as she reached for the gift. Tony's gifts were always extravagant and expensive and she knew they're always one of a kind—and it was.

It was a ball. A purple ball. Squishy and rubbery. Darcy fiddled with it with her hand and grinned. She couldn't wait to try it out. It was bouncy, lightweight and perfectly portable. Its use is flawlessly efficient and it would make her work one hundred percent easier. She eyed the little thing and wondered how she could ever such a thing. She never got to try it out.

 _Yeah,_ she thought.

She never got to try  _any_ of them. She never watched the DVDs, Happy gave. She never had the chance to read Rhodey's encyclopedia and she never got to use the fancy calculations book. She forgot about these gifts and that was rare for her because she never forgets anything. How can she forget Tony's gift?

Her smile flattened.

Somber cerulean eyes dropped.

_Oh yeah. That Christmas…_

* * *

oOo

* * *

Darcy's seventeenth Christmas was going to be great. She knew it was going to be. She received three letters of acceptances from her top colleges the other day so Tony made the family Christmas celebration two days earlier. Moreover, he was needed to celebrate Christmas day with Obadiah. It would be suspicious if Tony declined the sudden invitation so there they were, in Darcy's room, just finished a feast and was preparing to play  _It's a Wonderful Life_ with some popcorn and licorice. Happy went to cook the popcorn while Rhodey set up the movie. Pepper was busy hugging her daughter after giving her the calculations book.

"Uh, uh, no," Tony interjected, "You haven't seen  _my_ gift." Darcy smirked. Pepper raised an eyebrow. There was always competition between the two.

"How many times am I going to tell you that there is no con test, Tony?" Pepper sighed, tilting her head.

"You're just afraid that you'll lose." Tony retorted.

"My gifts won two years in a row, if I have to remind you."

"Aha! So there is a contest Ms. Potts." He pointed at her jokingly. Darcy giggled. She just watched the two silently continue to exchange witty retorts. Those two always bicker but it always ends up in smiles and laughs. She never said anything about it. She never commented or talked about it. It remained a thought. A fantasy. Ever since the moment when Pepper told her that she was her real mother, that she was a merely a legal guardian, she wondered  _why not?_

They have been together all their lives. Pepper was there when it all began. Darcy knew that Meredith is irreplaceable. She was a treasure to everyone, to her, both Tony and Pepper. But everyone deserves love. Tony and Pepper deserve love, and they deserve to be together after many years of being together. Darcy knew that they had feelings for each other but too timid in their own ways to actually admit it. So it became a wish. Darcy only thought of it as a small wish, a fantasy that maybe, just maybe, Pepper doesn't have to be just her legal guardian. Maybe she can finally call her as her real Mom. Maybe Tony would finally have a wife. Darcy never talked about it to anyone. Not to JARVIS, not to Pepper, Tony, Jeanne, Ivy, Alex. Not even Peter. She silently invented her own little world, making imaginary fantasies about how she can finally call to them Mom and Dad freely.

"Come on, kid. Open it," Tony broke her thoughts. Darcy shook her head momentarily and switched her gaze upon a somewhat large looking box. It was extravagant, compliments of Tony Stark, being adorned with a giant red bow. Tony leaned back in arrogance as she took off the cover.

"I'm surprised that you didn't use one dollar bills this time as fillers," Pepper remarked as Darcy removed the tissue paper fillings.

"We're in a recession, Pep, please be more sensitive," he replied deadpanned. The red-haired assistant was ready to create another comment, but the two's attention was ceased by a loud gasp.

"No way!" Darcy exclaimed, taking out the contents of the box to reveal a smaller white box. She only needed to see that one symbol of a minimalistic silver apple and she immediately knew what it was.

"Please, don't shout. I know you love me," Tony nodded at himself. Darcy shook her head and yelled anyway, "You got me a new iPod! This is the Touch!"

The girl quickly opened the box and took off the packaging hassles. "Now, it's all synced and set up. You and I both know that Steve Jobs is a  _little_  bit slow so his touch-screen sensors are not as accurate as the holograms we have for JARVIS. But do not fret, I replaced them with the graphene sensors we have back in the lab and I expanded the memory to 1 Terabyte, packed with the ZIPSAT cloud sharing and infrared sharing."

"But Motorola already invented the infrared sharing thing," Darcy narrowed her eyes, leading Tony to snap his fingers loudly, "But can infrared waves do this? Press play."

The curious girl immediately tapped 'play' on her new device and expected music to blast through the iPod's speakers but everything was quiet. Pepper, Rhodey and Happy looked on, expecting the same result but was astonished of the outcome. A portion of the windows that surrounded them began to glow a light hue of blue. Darcy swiftly stood up from the couch to go near the fascinating new thing and saw various blue boxes popping up the cold glass. Then a cerulean blue disc popped out, blinking,  _Michael Bublé – Winter Wonderland._ Darcy widely smiled as the song reverberated throughout the room softly. She chose another song from the playlist, listened with childish wonder and again, and again, until Pepper gently asked her to stop.

"Sorry," she grinned at Pepper, then turned cheerfully to Tony, "But Dad, this is  _legendary_!"

The genius only scoffed with a prideful smirk, "Eh, it's just a prototype. I could've incorporated a high-transmitter to augment the electrical field of the device. A bigger electrical field aside from the charges of the human body wouldn't require sensors such as said Japanese infrared waves and you could've hacked into any electrical device with ease but the world is not ready for that. Maybe wait two years; we could be controlling people's monitors with our phones. "

"So I guess I'm stuck with this high-powered iPod then?" Darcy waved the device with a knowing smirk.

"High-powered  _phone,"_ Tony pointed out. Darcy gasped cheerfully, and brought the iPod close to her chest, "This is  _excellent,_ Dad! Thank you so much!" She aimed towards him for a hug but he stopped her with a reminding laugh, "I'm afraid there are more gifts inside the box,"

"You got me more?!"

"Why not?" he shrugged, "Come on, go check it out." Darcy set the iPod on the coffee table to dig into the big box. She impatiently flung the fillings out, eager to see what else could top the awesome iPod. What else could be so much greater than an MP3 player that has been modified by Tony Stark—moreover, it can call! Tony would have to get something _incomparable_  to be able to supersede the—

Darcy stopped immediately and took her hands off the box. She eyed it with blank eyes but her voice quivered. "What is this…" she uttered softly as she stared at the bottom of the box. Pepper leaned in closer curious of what could make Darcy star struck. The view revealed two things: a ball and a tattered book. The ball was small and purple. It looked like any bouncy ball that could be bought in a dollar store and the other one was a just a leather covered journal. The book looked dusty, with its antiquated pages almost falling out. Pepper looked back at Tony, also confused. Such petty-looking things don't seem to fit the expression, "Saving the best for last."

"Those are amorphous gloves," Tony breathed out with a flat smile, "and the book, it's a journal. I found it in my lab…"

Pepper continued to stare at the book. "Whose…?"

The father and the daughter made eye contact. Blue eyes met warm brown ones. Tony blinked and his gaze turned soft and his voice quiet. "I think it's Meredith's… Your mother."

Everyone in the room silenced. The popcorn popped in the background while Happy looked at the family in the living area. Rhodey stopped what he was doing and turned to them silently. Pepper stared quietly. She never knew Meredith had kept a diary. She was never the type. Mean while, Darcy inhaled sharply. She only knew her real mother from stories and photographs. She experienced her warmth and love vicariously through the house she inherited. But she never had the chance to know her more intimately, more personal—her mind. A journal would be best. It could contain so many things, her feelings, her wishes, her memories. And she wanted to know every single of them.

"Well, I haven't opened it, you know?" Tony broke her thoughts, "I feel like she'll come haunting me back if I ever opened her diary. So I'm giving this to you then as the overly dramatic father who'd sacrifice anything for his beloved daughter." Darcy bent down to get the journal. The texture of the leather was slippery as it was aged with dust. It was heavy, she observed. She didn't know what to feel. She had her mother's feelings, her memories, all in her hands. For the first time in her life, she didn't know how to use the knowledge and wisdom given to her.

"Hey, Dad?" she started off with a whisper, blue eyes pensively looking at the journal.

"Yeah, babe?"

She looked up with a thoughtful gaze. She took a moment to look at the view of Pepper and Tony together. They have given so much. They have sacrificed everything. Now, she can know how much Meredith has given up for her. She smiled lightly, "Thank yo—

_You have a guest, sir._

The curly-haired girl was cut off by the autonomous voice. Tony suddenly stood up while Pepper told Darcy to save it for later. After all, they all had the time in the world.

"Fantastic. The pizza guy's here," he clapped his hand, and began to head towards the door. He whistled his way towards the door, when suddenly, an alarming armed stopped. He turned to his life and noticed Rhodes standing next to him with questioning eyes.

"Pizza? Why did you order pizza? I told you, I brought my famous cranberry broccoli casserole," the man cocked his head. Tony inhaled sharply with a sheepish smile. Pepper and Darcy grinned at the background. Rhodey narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Uh, it's gone."

"What do you mean 'It's gone?" I just—"

Tony coughed, "Dummy ate it."

Everybody, except Rhodey, laughed as the suspected robot in the kitchen tilted its claw in confusion. Before her uncle could instigate any further, Darcy clapped her hands and stood up. She declared that she'll get the pizza instead. Happy immediately remarked that it's dangerous for her to do that. They just can't have any random person opening up the door of the Stark household. The girl waved her hand aloofly, replying that she'll go with the usual Happy's-smart-niece cover. She just had to get downstairs to the kitchen. After all, her Christmas gift for Tony is hidden there.

The door silently closed behind her and the rest of the people in the room resumed their activities. Rhodey gave up on his casserole and looked for plates to put the pizza on. Happy went to get drinks and popcorn while Tony made himself comfortable on the couch. Meanwhile, Pepper suddenly straightened her back and rubbed her neck. Tony noticed her eyebrows scrunch together, grey eyes pensive and puzzled.

"Ah, don't feel bad about the casserole, Pep. I know you hated it too," Tony muttered stoically with eyes staring into the screen. The woman shook her head, "It's not that…"

"Then are you realizing that I won this time?" he inwardly smirked, pressing buttons on the remote for the movie to start. Pepper shook her head again, eyes narrowing, "No, it just feels like I'm forgetting something…"

"You're forgetting about how I just gave the best gift ever."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be immature," she sighed, "I feel like there's something I should've done today."

"You should've gotten a better gift," he mumbled mockingly, "Seriously, a calculations book?"

The red-haired assistant turned her head at him with a vicious glare. She snapped at him to stop talking about the presents. There was something off today but she couldn't remember what and she hated that. She is known for her efficiency not for her incompetency. The tingling in her fingertips reminded her that it was something direly important but she just can't remember what it was. Moreover, she can't focus if her boss keeps jibing at her about the presents.

With a silent a-ha, she reached for her phone to see if there was anything in the schedule that could remind her. Just as she was opening her calendar, the door slammed open.

Everybody in the room jumped at the unexpected bang of the door. All eyes were on Darcy power-walking towards her room. She uttered no words, her somber eyes monotonously directed towards her bedroom. They waited in flabbergasted silence until she popped out with her satchel on her shoulder. Rhodes and Happy exchanged questioning looks. Tony coolly finished his glass of scotch while Pepper watched her with a gaped mouth, frozen in place. Darcy didn't meet anyone's eyes while she stomped towards the coffee table. No one asked anything as she took all of her gifts and shoved them inside her bag. Tony raised his brows as he couldn't read the situation. All he saw wavy brown hair swaying around angrily in front of him. As soon as she packed everything in her bag, she pivoted towards the kitchen. It was when everyone witnessed her snatch a bottle of wine from the ice that Pepper decided to speak up.

"H-Honey, what's wrong? Do you need money? What's with the—

"Nothing. I just forgot something," she muttered lowly as she made her way towards the exit. Electric blue eyes were somehow grim yet enervated in some way no one can comprehend. Her voice feigned innocence but the way she just did her whole act with the satchel and the wine, Pepper was anxious of what went wrong.

"What did you forget?" Pepper was reluctant to ask. Darcy shrugged aloofly and turned the knob to leave. It was only when the door was almost closed, and the girl replied again enough for everyone to hear.

"I forgot my Taser."

Pepper's ginger eyebrows furrowed while the door slammed closed. She repeated Darcy's last remark in her thoughts, and it didn't seem to make sense. Why would she need her Taser? Why did she come back to get her bag? Why the wine? Why the-

"Oh my god," she whispered suddenly, throwing her hands over her mouth to cover her gasp. Tony turned to her with curious eyes, silent with the same confusion by the events. She could only reply with another gasp and a glance at her phone. The space for December 23rd was marked red, and she knew well what it meant. Blank blue-grey eyes stared blankly at the calendar, uncertain of what to do.

Her hands tightened around the device in anger. All her life as Tony's assistant, there were circumstances where she had to cancel appointments. It was either because of Tony's irresponsibility to be a drunkard, or to make room for Darcy. This time, she failed to achieve such task. For the first time ever, she forgot to the cancel this appointment.  _The_ appointment.

"I-I can't believe this," she closed her eyes tightly.

Tony was puzzled. Everyone was. "Hey, what's happening?"

She shook her head. "The date. I forgot the date. The date, Tony, I forgot to cancel it."

Tony knew it was the 23rd and so what about it? He couldn't think straight. He only answered with another sip of his glass. Happy decided to pop in, and appeared behind Pepper and snatched the phone from her. It took a moment for him to adjust his eyesight and then he finally read what was so important. And all he could say is, " _Oh shit._ "

"Can someone freaking elaborate?" Tony snarled.

Happy gulped. "You had an appointment tonight. Well, two now that I think about it."

"Two? Is it with Obie?"

"Uh, no. Remember last month? Remember Miss November?" he smiled weakly.

"Miss who?"

"Well, uh, this month, I meant, MAXIM's monthly edition."

Tony snapped his hands, "Yeah, this month, they have the twins. What were their names…"

It took a minute everyone in the room to realize what was occurring. Pepper was already in the door when Tony caught up. Rhodey cursed out loud and made a run for it downstairs. Happy scratched his head, unable to think. Tony could only shout " _Oh shit!"_

Darcy remembered those twins very well. Sunny and Luna. Cute, tall, blonde models for MAXIM's December edition. She also recalled their outfits that day. They wore long, black trench coats that reached down their knees. They were hesitant to take it off when she offered to hang them. She offered them wine, but they refused. The two only asked for Tony, giggling loudly while so. And Darcy was done. It doesn't take a genius like her to take a hint.

Once the rest of the company reached the living area with her and the twins, she took the cue to kiss Pepper on the cheek and muttered goodbye. She pulled Happy away from the crowd and asked him to drive her to the airport. Her father was drunk, and she didn't see a reason to continue their Christmas celebration. So she left him and never bothered to touch the gifts again. She went back to New York and spent the rest of Christmas on her bed, alone.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Can't believe they ran down to check that I haven't Tasered those two whorebags," she snarled quietly as she rolled purple ball on her hand. She squeezed it tight and bounced it on the table. "Can't freaking believe that those two little shits thought I was the freaking maid! Goddamnit, do I look like the fucking help?!"

She huffed loudly, letting the ball roll around the table. As she eyed the bouncing ball, she realized that she was getting angry at Tony again. She shouldn't be angry at him again. He does have flaws. She can't change the way he is and she has to learn how to put up with his escapades. But Darcy couldn't help expecting Tony to shun away the girls for it was a special occasion. Tony Stark always reserves special occasions for her. But Tony continued to flirt with the girls. Pepper stood there awkwardly while Happy and Rhodey watched with repressed disappointment. Darcy wanted to scream and douse the twins with the wine anything to set everything straight but she saw it. She realized that Tony Stark was always a Stark. As long as her secret remained as it is, billionaire Tony Stark will always be billionaire Tony Stark- not billionaire Tony Stark the father. As much as she hated it, she put up with it. Pepper warned her in her younger years that Tony Stark may not be the always committed as she think she is. He may be dedicated to his work, to her, but there will be always the loophole, the scar of an unattended childhood, the hole of unsupervised maturation, the void of a careless life. He will always be that playboy. Also, she shouldn't be angry at someone who might be potentially be dead right now.

"No, he can't be dead," she shook her head vigorously, "What the hell am I thinking? Holy shit, I need more sleep."

After taking a deep breath, she took a long sip of her smoothie and plugged the old iPod into her laptop. She also took the chance to begin writing on her new calculations book. She shouldn't be thinking about pessimistic things. She was not raised that way. There is always out. Like Tony always used to describe, if she ever had to stuck to crawl under the wire, cut the fucking wire. To whatever hellhole he's in, he'll get out and she'll be there to get him. Maybe she could invent something. Something radical. Something life-changing.

After all, she has a new pair of indestructible gloves at her—

"Looking for this?" a voice came from behind. Darcy rolled her eyes right away and groaned. It became a reflex for her whenever she hears Sierra's shrill voice. Before she could explode again, she took another huge sip of her smoothie to calm herself down.

Sierra frowned when her supposed victim didn't turn around to face her and continued on doing nerdy stuff. After hearing a sigh from her, she caught a glimpse of the smoothie. A gasp of disgust flashed her features, dropping the ball on the ground.

"What is  _that?!_ " she exclaimed, "What the hell are you drinking?! It's green!"

Darcy paused for a moment to look at what she was actually drinking, and then closed her book to resumed typing on her laptop. "Chlorophyll."

"What?"

"I'm drinking chlorophyll," she confirmed, finally turning around to face the woman, "Can you pick my ball, please?"

Sierra stayed still for a moment, gaping at her. Did she actually mean  _chlorophyll_? Plant chlorophyll? Darcy stared at her back with unfeeling eyes.

"It's a good anti-oxidant and source of nutrients," she explained with a defeated scowl, "Considering what I have been doing to myself these past days, I needed it."

Sierra took a step back. She knew Darcy was a weirdo but not a drug—

"Calm your nips, I'm not on drugs or anything. I'm just—can you just pick up my ball please?" Darcy quickly raised her hand up, "You know what never mind, I don't expect you to do what I ask, even after four years of "please leave me the fuck alone", you're still here up my shit. Geez, you're more over controlling than my mother. Do you love me that much, Jones?"

Sierra couldn't reply a single reply. She was not yet used to talking Darcy. And the pure impudence from her was simply intimidating. Darcy twisted her body around to reach for her purple ball on the floor. Amidst in stunned silence, the blonde girl caught a glimpse of what was on Darcy's screen. As expected, it was all letters, numbers. She couldn't understand anything.

She weakly laughed. "What the hell are you doing there? Hacking the government?"

Darcy immediately stopped midway from getting the ball with widened eyes. She looked sideways, up and down, looking for a plausible excuse. Sierra can't be that smart. "I uh—was just testing some of my Dad's codes," she mumbled, grabbing the ball from the floor. She raised her gaze to meet the blonde's eyes and bounced the ball on her hand, "Some nerdy stuff. You wouldn't understand."

"Hey! Is that a handball?!" another voice came in, and the two girls immediately recognized it to be Chuck's. His footsteps were heavy as he ran towards them. His face was red, and he looked like he was laughing for more than hour. Darcy had no time to react as he snatched the ball from her hand and began bouncing it high and hard. She noticed Sierra take on a smug smile as she kissed her boyfriend on his cheek. She knew it. She  _fucking_ knew it.

"Hey, Greasy Darcy, do you own a light blue bike?" he started asking with an innocent tone, ending with a snicker and a glance at his girlfriend.

Darcy squeezed her hand tightly. A thousand curses were ready to come out of her mouth but she couldn't do it. She was just too tired. She can't take it anymore. "What did you do this time?" she snarled.

More laughter came from the couple. "Oh nothing. It's just that I don't think it should be called a bike now… considering it has no wheels," Chuck snickered as he gestured her to look behind him. Two of the other jocks stood by the courtside doors, holding two wheels. One of them started pulling the spokes one by one.

The two expected her to fight back, scream like last time. Seeing her angry last time made them feel even more powerful, and they wanted to feel it again. But Darcy didn't say anything. All she did was turn around to gather all her stuff back into her back pack. Once her laptop and all her gifts were safely inside her bag, she took her smoothie and took one last sip.

The rest went into Sierra's shirt.

A bloodcurdling shriek echoed throughout the courtyard, bringing everyone's attention towards them. Sierra was absolutely flabbergasted, continuing to scream as she felt the cold, green liquid ooze down her shirt. Many people began to laugh at them, bringing entertainment to the ones they have victimized in the past. Even Chuck's friends were laughing.

Chuck didn't know what to do. His eyes quivered as he tried looking for a napkin to wipe the juice of her shirt. Sierra kept screaming at him telling him to do something but he just didn't know what to do. He was even considering pulling some freshman's shirt to wipe it off. However, someone stopped him. Within a second, he saw nothing but a pair of dark cerulean eyes.

He froze at the spot when Darcy pulled his body close to hers. She grasped him by his collar tightly as she whispered venomously, "You feel that?" she raised her eyebrows. Chuck gulped deeply. Something was poking him at his groin. "I asked if you feel that, Chuck," she growled, poking him again. The boy nodded his head in assent.

"You know what I hate,  _Chuck_?" Darcy enunciated his name with abhorred hatred. "I hate bullies. I fucking despise them."

"Do you know what  _you_  are,  _little boy_?" she tightened her grasp. He may a foot taller than her but the man was shaking in his shoes. "Answer!" Darcy snarled.

"I'm a bully. I-I'm a bully," he replied.

"And you know what happens to bullies?" she hissed, poking him again, "They get  _Tasered."_

No one heard her but him. No one saw the Taser but him. No one could feel it but him. He didn't want to be Tasered. Moreover, he didn't want to be shocked in the balls. His mind says fight back, she's only a little girl. But his guts churned. It twisted until he couldn't breathe anymore. His head began to spin and the last thing he heard was Darcy picking up her purple ball from his hand, cursing at him before he fainted to the ground.

"That was my mother's bike, you dirtbag."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Thanks for sending a cab for me, ASTRID," she smiled weakly as she jumped on her computer chair. Her day immediately ended as bell rang after the whole incident. She asked herself why she keeps on involving herself with those people. Good thing that couple still had a pride to not tell on her. Pepper would have another fit, or maybe she would even get expelled for threatening another student with an illegal device. Honestly, why is she still in high school?

Right. She wanted this.

_I have also ordered replacement wheels for your bicycle, Darcy._

"You're fantastic," she deeply sighed, "I'd like you even more if you tell me the status of the programs."

_Mr. Stark's old coding and algorithms has been successfully incorporated with the .bat files. Status is pending…_

"All right, keep on doing the permutations I typed up earlier until access is granted. I'm gonna go upstairs and get more Red Bull." She started to dash towards the stairs, when she remembered about her satchel. Excitement suddenly filled her system. She never got to read it. She never got to see it when she left that Christmas. Tony's second gift.

Meredith's journal.

She quickly went to grab her satchel and raced towards the kitchen. She took out the contents of the bag as fast as possible and with a shot of Red Bull, she pulled out the journal.

It was smaller than a normal notebook. It was none the fancy diary she would expect in movies. It was only a black leather book, with a red ribbon stuck between the pages. It bore neither extravagant designs nor florid decorations. It was simple.

Two porcelain fingers gently lifted the cover to reveal the first page. The pages were yellow of age, and wafted off a certain smell only nostalgia can give. The first page had nothing written on it but two letters inscribed on the lower corner with black ink. Darcy's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the initials. "Weird," she muttered to herself as she squinted her eyes to see if she was seeing clearly. She even took out her glasses to make sure. Yeah it was weird. If this was her mother's journal, then why does it say "S."?

Curiosity filled her system as she flipped to the second page and at the glimpse of the date, she confirmed that Tony was definitely drunk out of his mind when he gave her this journal. Nonetheless, as she began to read the first entry, even if it wasn't her mother's, she still got to see inside one of the greatest lives in history.

* * *

_June 19, 1943_

_Dr. Erskine gave me this book so suddenly, so I'm guessing this is his version of a late birthday present. "It's a journal," he said before leaving my apartment, "It would be help if you start writing on it right away. After all, you're going to be making history."_

_Hell yeah, I'm making history. I just hope everything go swell on Tuesday._

_S._

* * *

After reading the first entry, Darcy was hooked. She could finish the whole journal in one sitting, since it was unusually thin. But she thought that it was no fun. She shouldn't waste such an irreplaceable thing so she vowed to read not all of it right away. Cherishing it was the best way, savor the knowledge that comes before her. So she promised herself to read one entry a day. It was a great distraction for awhile, and she could not wait for tomorrow.

_Ms. Darcy, your presence is requested downstairs._

JARVIS' disembodied voice boomed throughout the kitchen. Darcy chugged her Red Bull right away and placed the journal back into the satchel. Right. There was no time for distractions. She still needed to find her father.

"Something wrong, ASTRID?" Darcy called out as made her way down the basement staircase. She ran her fingers through hair, and sniffed, "Don't tell me you've already used all of the combinations I gave you. I'm pretty sure I made like three hundred of them. Thank god for Dad's log files, I could neve—holy shit."

She stepped nimbly on the last step of the stairs and gaped at the screens around her desk. It was her first time seeing such thing, after fourteen days. She wanted to jump, jump high but she was too tired so she just stared at green, blinking letters of her screen. It was not until her AI's voice reverberated throughout the room, with what seemed like a tone of triumph, pulled her mouth into a victorious smirk.

_M.I.N.D. Satellite status: Firewall breached. Security codes encrypted. Internal Program Language encrypted. Defense algorithm bypassed… **[Access Granted]**._

* * *

oOo

* * *

The sky was bright as ever, brighter than usual with no clouds floating around. The people around him were busy as they should be, walking around looking at data, talking to headphones, scouring electronically maps and information. He put his hands over his waist as he turned his body to the right, tapping on his computer screens. He felt his presence come closer behind him and he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Where is it heading to?" he muttered, swiping his fingers over the image of a satellite.

"The Kabul vicinity, sir."

"That's where it's calibrating to? Huh…" he sounded amused, confusing the people around him.

"I don't understand, boss. Our people were close to finding out who was hacking our satellites."

"But you haven't," he reminded him, "Whoever this is, is playing you. He got you twisted around his finger blocking off your access. Hell, if we waited a little longer, he would've actually breached our firewall with whatever file he was using today."

"That's what I don't understand, boss. You ordered us to stop the trace and decrease security to grant him access."

"It's where the reverse trace passed through got me interested," he smirked, "Tell me, Agent. Do you know anyone else living in these coordinates?" He gestured him to come closer to the screen, tapping a glowing blue map. The man immediately stepped back, dumbfounded, "That's not possible. According to the intel,  _he's_ missing."

"Then who the hell is using Tony Stark's private servers?"


	4. The Cave I

 

**The Cave I**

* * *

_June 20, 1943  
_

_Dr. Erskine gave me more wine today. Or was it scotch? I don't remember. Must be some strong stuff. I don't know why but I want more to relieve myself of the anxiety. It's tomorrow.  
_

_S._

* * *

"What is your family like?" Tony suddenly heard. His mind was usually blank when he works. There was no need for thinking, all he needed was the feeling of his tools in the palm of his hands and he can make whatever he desires. Music normally helps relieve the silence in his state of tinkering but he couldn't want too many things in this situation. But after hearing Yinsen's question, was music too much to ask?

"I mean, if you had a family, what would it be like for the great Tony Stark?" he heard again, thickened more with the old man's accent. He didn't want to talk. All he wanted to do is work and finish. So he can get out of this cave.

"We have been here for fifty-three days, twenty-one hours, eleven minutes, and three seconds, Yinsen," he grumbled, not looking up, "Let's just work." Yeah, work was the only thing to do at that moment. It served as a distraction and yet a tool for his escape. Moreover, the old man was bringing up such a sensitive topic. He didn't want to lead him with any implications.

"Two months is not that long, you know?" Yinsen smiled, "I've been here longer than you. Prisoners are meant to talk to each other or they'll go insane." He held his grin as he pressed the keys of a dirty old keyboard. His wrinkled eyes narrowed as he tried to continue Tony's program with a machine code. A language he thought looked like bits of binary were actually something even more complicated. It took a while for him to understand all the code and schematic symbols.

"I'm already insane," Tony dropped his torch on the work table. Then he glanced up to the old man, clear somberness flashed upon his face as his poke the glowing arc reactor on his chest, "I put this inside me, didn't I?"

Yinsen frowned in assent. He remembered well when he first saw a glimpse of Tony's plan. It was astonishingly impressive. It was incredibly extreme as well. The man made no haste as he gathered every scrap metal around him and glued himself next to the fire. For days, he smelled of burnt ashes and fired metal. Rest did not become an option to him neither was small talk. It was as if he was running out of time.

"What are you rushing for, Stark? Or should I say… _who?_ " Yinsen said with such absolute austerity that it made Tony drop his tool, to look and stare back. The old man stood in front of him, wiping his glasses as he looked at him with serious eyes. The severity of the air between them was so clear that Tony was beginning to think that the old man might already know the answer.

He held his chin up and returned a blank gaze. "My family. The hypothetical one, for the sake of conversation."

Yinsen smiled with knowing eyes. He has observed this man for a long time now. Tony surely is open with his thoughts. The man is not afraid of saying what he thinks and it became even more intriguing to see how dangerously straightforward he is, it makes him ponder of how dangerous his secrets are. Therefore he has gathered observations and data. All he needed was to analyze. "Humor me, Stark."

The genius breathed out a sigh. They have been held captive for almost two months. The only thing he knew about them is that they call themselves the Ten Rings. Their cause is unknown but he knew that they needed him and his weapons. He only knew that they have been keeping him for two months. For two months. The cave must be getting to his head. The arid, stagnant air was drying his insides slowly. The empty valley was sickening him even the barrenness of his heart. So sick that his talking about families with a man he shares a prison cell with. He couldn't tell him the truth. No can't know. Men can make him walk the farthest distance in the desert but they cannot make him open his mouth. The sun will rise slowly, and he will continue to tread through the scorching sand and leave all his fears and faults behind. He will not stop. He will not rest until he'll have something to protect them.

"Humor," he started, "They would love humor." He began to remember the jokes, the pranks he shared with Darcy. His little girl enjoyed them. Even with Pepper, everything just seemed more fun, livelier.

"A happy family is a happy house." Yinsen agreed, nodding in assent.

"Mansion," Tony corrected.

The old man chuckled. "Of course. Son or daughter?"

Tony took a reluctant pause. He shouldn't answer quickly. After all, everything was hypothetical.

"Daughter."

"A son too troublesome for you?" Yinsen raised an eyebrow with curious eyes. The billionaire sounded so sure.

"I was."

Yinsen nodded again, and then informed him with an experienced tone, "But girls can be quite a handful too, nevertheless."

Tony didn't answer. He simply grinned to himself. He could've prove that comment in a blink of an eye. The number of fights he had with Darcy was innumerable. He remembered that Christmas as well.

"I suppose she would be like you," Yinsen smirked, "Starks seemed to always have that flair. The exuberance."

"Oh, she'd be pretty remote," Tony mumbled, "She has to be." Darcy was never had the arrogance. She had the confidence. She was confident enough so that when she speaks, she'll be likely to blow people away. That's her flair.

"Oh?"

"But she'll still have this," Tony pointed at this temple, "She may be a little different than me, but she'll still have this."

Yinsen then widely smiled. The thought of having another great mind, another Stark is simply fascinating. Such ingenuity and genius is unique and irreplaceable. Think about the inventions, the technology. "I would love to have a cup of tea with your daughter," he said softly.

Tony's stare was blank, but his gaze softened. The two men shared a simple wish: to go home. The old man probably has a daughter like him waiting for him, a wife and a son. He didn't know things will turn out but he has a plan. They'll get out of this cave. He'll hold on hope.

"Me too," he replied. They will escape. Even at the greatest pain, he'll find strength. "We have a plan, Yinsen remember." He'll do it for the old man. For Pepper. For Darcy. "We have a plan and we're sticking to it."

"You will get home in time, do not worry Stark," Yinsen spoke gently, "And we will be home with our families."

* * *

_June 21, 1943_

" _A weak man knows the value of strength… and knows compassion." I can still hear him. I can still hear his voice…_

_They will pay for this._

_S._

* * *

"I think this is the hardest thing I've done," Darcy said in her exasperating tone. A loud squeak was heard as she jumped on top of her living room couch. She eyed the bare white ceiling above her vacantly, with arms outstretched over the floor. This was her usual pose when she lacked inspiration for a certain project. She would stare at anything blank, anything clean and motionless for minutes or for hours. She would listen to nothing but the silence. Cerulean eyes would not waver. They would not blink but stay open in hope that she would catch something in that midst of stagnancy of that blank wall or a blank screen or page, that something would move. Even for a millisecond, she hoped to see that one flicker of movement upon the void. She did it when she needed to new ideas for an invention, or a piece of code needed for her new program, or when Tony was abducted. She let the silence ring in her ears, and thoughts swim through her brain, and once it clicks, she would see the blankness move and merge into an idea.

"Nothing," she grumbled, finally blinking, "I see nothing." All she saw was emptiness, lack of any spark or inspiration. Her brain was blocked and she didn't know why. She considered the fact that she had been in a funk lately. Her days were always so down, and they never seem to rise to the height of happiness she was used to. Besides the abduction and her father's two month absence, she had been feeling homesick. She missed the beaches, the warm, breezy air of the Pacific. All she ever wants to do is stay in her room and just stare at the blue sky, with no regrets or worries. Funny, she recalled the days when she longed for the bustling life of New York. Back then, she wanted the energetic life, the skyscrapers, and the rushing people. But now, those people put her deep, drowning in vexation. She didn't want to be anywhere but to be where everything began—home with Pepper and Tony.

That's why she called Pepper.

"Hm, it didn't work, huh?" a soft voice reverberated throughout the living room. Darcy closed her eyes slowly as she slipped into a fetal position. She let her curls fall gently over her face, porcelain hands caressing her own neck, two feet rubbing against each other for warmth. A sigh escaped from her lungs as she evened her breathing. Hearing her mother's voice was the most comforting sound in the world. "It usually works."

"Maybe this meditating thing would work if I actually cared in the first place…" a grimace followed, "How am I supposed to write a speech about the worst four years of my life?"

"I know you don't like your classmates, although I don't see the reason why, but I just want you to try," the red-haired woman smiled through the phone, "I'm sure you can do this. You can do everything."

"Why am I even the valedictorian anyway? It's too much work," she scowled, "JARVIS should just make the speech for me and present it." A small chuckle came out from the other side of the phone. Darcy's eyes opened at the sound. It has been a while since she actually heard Pepper laugh. These months were full of sighs and cries; there was no place for smiles. It seems that the two of them needed this call.

"What? JARVIS would be great!" Darcy slowly grinned, sitting up, hoping the lightened mood will stay for a little more, "He can just hack into the speakers and scare everyone!" Her smile grew wider as she heard more laughs from Pepper.

Then there was a pause. Pepper blinked a few times to get back to reality.

"You sound just like your father," she whispered. She recalled that one time when Tony did not want to do any work. "Except this time, you don't sound like you drank a whole bottle of Bacardi."

The two of them laughed simultaneously, each chuckle slowing down into silence. Bringing up Tony brought a pang to their chests. Without him left an empty hole in their hearts.

"I'm sorry, Darce," Pepper's soft voice said remorsefully, "I'm not helping." Darcy opened her mouth immediately to respond but Pepper cut her off, "Usually your father would make some silly joke, and I would tell him to stop and focus, and we'd all laugh then I know you'll get an answer to your problem because that's how everything works out, you know? It's just that I don't know why I'm rambling right now, I should be really helping you with your own problems but all I can think about is the fact that my boss is not here. You know, he's not here. He's not here and I don't know what to do. I literally can't take it anymore. My mind and body cannot take it anymore. Sometimes I tell myself I need a break but I don't need this kind of stress and I just want everything back to normal but you know we are not normal so should I just ignore everything and just keep on working? I don't have the answers this time, Darcy, I don't. I will tell you that. I don't know the answers. And when I don't know the answers, I would ask your father but he's not here so who should I ask, who should I ask—

"Mom." Darcy's voice was low.

_Breathe._

Pepper immediately closed her mouth, stopping the air to come through her lungs. She realized her actions and closed her eyes in defeat. After two months of holding it in, her mind finally gave up. She tried hard, really hard, to keep it all in. She had to for she was Darcy's source of strength. But she couldn't keep lying anymore, to Darcy and to herself. She didn't know what to do.

Then she heard it again.

_Mom._

_Mom._

_Breathe._

She breathed.

_Mom._

Yes. That was the answer. Mom.

There was always the answer. The idea. Both of them just needed to know where to look.

The phone call ended with a smile. No tears, which was unexpected. She was even more surprised at herself when she gave Darcy her advice. She was confident that it would produce good results. She just has to wait to find out.

Grey-blue orbs stared what was in front of them. The living area of the Stark Mansion was awfully dim, vacant. There was no energy in the air, no movement. Even JARVIS was more laconic than usual. All she heard was the muted waves outside the windows. She sank into the couch and looked at the white box on the coffee table. She had managed to slip out of the madness in the Stark Headquarters to catch a breather. Her blank thoughts led her to drive back to the mansion. The frank quietness of the house was baffling to her, smiling at the memories when it used to be filled with light and laughter. Calling her little girl was a good idea. It brought both of them a peace of mind. Darcy will figure out what to write for her speech, and she will figure out what to do with the box. With the time nearing in, there was no choice but to think that she'll have to give it to Darcy by herself.

"Pepper?" someone voiced out, "Pepper, is that you?" The woman suddenly straightened her back in defense. She knew she came alone to the house. She didn't notice any car outside. It was only her. But the voice didn't sound like as if it was coming from the entrance. It sounded like the man was going down the stairs. She gulped as the figure revealed its true form.

_Ms. Potts, it seems that there is something interfering with my syst—_

"Obadiah!" she raised from her seat like an alert soldier in the midst of his commander. She watched as his tall figure walked towards the lounge. He wore a grey suit, neat and proper, and an ambiguous smile. Something twitched inside her. Her senses were on high alert. She didn't know he was in the house. She didn't know _why_ he was in the house. Why is _he_ here?

The tall man produced a hearty laugh, opening his arms wide, as if he was welcoming her into his own abode. "It is you! I was wondering if a burglar came into the house or something. It'd be no surprise if someone was to attempt while our dear Tony is absent, you know? Times are tough."

 _What were you doing upstairs?_ She wanted to ask but all she returned was a weak smile, "It'd be quite embarrassing if someone _does_ try to steal something from Mr. Stark, wouldn't that be right, Obadiah?"

His smile flattened into a frown. "Did you forget something here, Ms. Potts?"

"Inventory files from downstairs," she replied, gesturing the stack of papers on the coffee table. Then she faced him with another professional smile, "How about you? Should I help you look for something?" _Why are you here?_

"R&D needed new stuff. With Anthony gone, the market is going nuts. I figured I'd come here to find, you know, some _inspiration_ ," the skin around his eyes wrinkled as he gave another chuckle. He paced around the coffee table, rubbing his hands together as he looked out the clear glass windows.

Grey-blue eyes narrowed. "So… you went to Tony's room?" the red-haired woman asked with every word laced with suspicion.

Stane guffawed, echoing throughout the room. "Nah, I figured I'd visit an old friend's room." Then she felt his gaze pierce through her from the back. "You know, Howard's room." Pepper's eyes widened in response but she uttered no words. Howard's room. His office. There was no such thing. She knew there was no such thing. "But I guess it'd been years since I've been up there. Ages, now that I think about it."

Darcy's room. He was talking about Darcy's room. He tried going in Darcy's room.

"Ages, huh?" Pepper tried to play it cool, "Are you looking for something specific? Should I help you?"

"Ah, it's fine," he chuckled. She heard his voice grew louder. He started walking around the couch and she could still feel his stare boring into her. "I figured it wouldn't be there anymore, after all these years. It's quite funny actually; I used to go up to that room all the time and now _it's all gone_. You know, I'd ask Tony, but he's not here so I'm actually happy that you're here, Pepper."

"My security clearance can only go as far as his workshop and his room," she said steadily, "Tony has not mentioned any other rooms." She felt the hairs on her back rise. The air felt chillier than usual.

"Well, of course. If I'm not allowed to see whatever Tony is hiding in that room, why would you?" he laughed again, "I've known Tony since he was a little kid. He tells me everything. You know, funny story. Well not really funny but it seemed to fit this occasion."

Stane sighed, "You know, just days after his kidnapping, there was a federal agent who came to me investigating the whole thing. They asked the whole she-bang. Where I was, what I was doing, blah, blah, blah, and they asked me what kind of person Tony was. Well, I said, 'Tony's always been the man who makes his own rules. Am I right?" Dull blue eyes suddenly met grey blue ones. Pepper nodded reflexively. She didn't know where he was heading with the conversation and it made her nervous. "Then I said to the agent, 'He was like his father. Everyone thought Howard was crazy. Leaving his company to a minor. But Tony surprised them all. Tony surprised me! He has a way of doing that.' Right?"

Pepper nodded, eyes glued back to him. "Well, here I am getting to the funny part. Then the guy said, "I'm sure, that's true. But these are terrorists we're talking about. I'm just trying to be frank about the risks.' Then I laughed, you know? He was trying to find out if Tony is able to tell criminals about national defense. But Tony is the guy that doesn't care about the government or our defenses. He likes the challenge of inventing things and the rest, he leaves it all to me. Funny, right? To think that Tony was thought of working with terrorists! Ha!"

Stane sat on the edge of the coffee table to face Pepper. She immediately returned a small grin, maintaining eye contact. She replied with no words. "I know everything about that kid, Pepper. I know him from top to bottom but like I said, he has ways of surprising me. So sometimes I feel like he's not telling me the full story."

"He never tells anyone anything," her smile flattened. Getting information out of Tony was always the hardest thing and that could help with dealing with terrorists. But there was still the fact that she never really knows what he's up to until she asks and most of the time, even the answers don't make sense. May it be a new invention or a silly prank, she never really knew. However, deep in her mind, she knew that Tony was up to something, wherever he was. All she was hoping that he safely comes back home.

"How about you?" Stane interrupted her thoughts, "Do you want to tell me something?"

Pepper turned to him. "Tell you what?"

There it was again. That same enigmatic smile. "Tell me about Darcy."

* * *

_Well, I'll be damned. Life has gotten a little interesting now._

_S._

* * *

Two weeks passed and she still hasn't received a single clue for her speech. Well, she did get one. From Pepper. Her advice was short, concise… clear: Ask Meredith. So she looked around the house. The house was Meredith, the furniture, the books, the couch, the paintings, everything came from her. She only has to look at the right thing and she would be able to find her answers.

Swiveling her chair around, she eyed her stronghold, her fortress. The large glass screens of her computers may be fragile, but she can do more damage with just a push of a button. Darcy wondered if she can use this as a subject for her speech, hoping it might shed a light to what people turn their back on most of the time. She grew up surrounded by the highest technology, putting her above most people. She was raised in such a different environment and she grew up with the notion that it can help her in the future. But her knowledge and the solitary lifestyle she developed was far too different from the rest. A feeble laugh came from her throat. Anywhere she went, she just didn't belong. Whether it was boarding school or high school, there was always something about her that was different. But her experiences proved that people didn't like the difference that she brought with her.

So where does she belong?

"If this goes on, I might as well just ship myself to a desert… or maybe space!" she declared.

The computer thing was a bad idea; she thought and hopped off her chair. She made her way up to the first floor. It was almost time before dinner and she could smell her meal.

"Oh my god, is that pizza?" she gasped, stretching her arms out wide cheerfully.

"Uh, it's a prototype."

Darcy grinned. Silent footsteps crept towards the room as she proceeded to take a peek. The counter was in shambles, and a figure was on the floor trying wipe the floor covered with flour. She heard cracking bones as she saw him stand up to open the oven and take out a pie of pizza. "Crap," he grumbled as he realized that half of the pie was burnt black. He looked left and right and within a second, he grabbed the pan and slid the pizza into the trashcan. He then grabbed the phone. Darcy stifled a laugh and went to reach for the towel on the flower.

"You know Dad, for someone who can make anything why is it that you can't make a simple pan of piz-" she stopped as soon as she straightened her body. A frown replaced her features as she saw that there was no one there. The counters were cleaned. The floor was pristine. And the pizza was coming from a newly-delivered box that DUMM-E was preparing. Her laugh diminished into a squeak, and blue eyes stopped blinking. The robot whirred in response, rotating its claw to catch her attention. Eyebrows crunched together and blue eyes watered up. The scene that played before her eyes was only a memory, she realized. Her first instinct was to drop to the floor and curl up but through clenched fists, she blocked the urge. The moment gave her a grim reminder that she should be used to it by now. Almost three months is not a lot. It's just like school. Being alone was always the norm.

"You gotta remember the quote, Darcy, you gotta remember it," she whispered to herself, eyes steady. That quote was the only thing that kept her sane for these long months. It served as a surge of motivation since the day she found it. Not until that day, she fathomed how the past chiefly lived its life. History was always something incompatible with her. She grew in a house where eyes were only placed expectantly on the future, for that matter. She never learned to look back. But after opening that man's journal, the past served to teach and prepare for whatever may come. Every day, just from reading one excerpt from that journal, she learned something to move forward with. Even the smallest words made big changes. She hoped to make that same impact and with that, she found her answer.

"Whew, okay, I've calmed down," she breathed out a small sigh. She walked towards the robot and patted its claw as she grabbed a slice of pizza. "Hey, ASTRID? JARVIS? Wakey-wakey."

The two AI's responded back monotonously.

"JARVIS, I want you to keep sending signals in all frequencies to the coordinates I've provided. Change the band every five minutes. Apply any modulations, protocol if needed. Use the same language too, so nobody can understand it but Dad. Focus on Satellite 10 because that one was a bitch."

_Directing signals and frequencies… Switching to binary-2 coding…_

"And ASTRID," she clapped her hands, "We're going upstairs and we're writing this goddamn speech."

* * *

_All he wanted to do was end this war. What can I do?_

_What can I do?_

_S._


	5. War Room

_Three months ago…_

**War Room**  
Location: Classified  
Clearance Level 7

Men and women clad in dark uniforms were seated in front of the steel walls covered by computer screens. Some spoke in different tongues to a wireless headset attached to their ears, gathering as much intel they can get from their global sources. Two men stood still in front a large screen. The whole room was tinted in orange as it reflected the screen's footage: explosions.

One of the men standing smoothed his black suit in hope that he would no longer see more soldiers die during the explosions. The other man, who wore a black turtleneck shirt, however stood completely stationary in his placed, arms crossed, one eye glued to the whole time so not one detail is left out. Huge Humvees were being thrown in the air, bodies were falling and RPG's were being shot from enemy lines. There were so much that was happening and he absorbed all of it. But all his priorities were focused on one.

"Colonel Rhodes and his men were five minutes behind. By the time they got there, Tony Stark was gone," reported the man in the suit.

"Who did this?" the man stayed still, voice low yet serious.

"No one's claimed responsibility. But the Ten Rings have been active in the area."

" _Wonderful_ ," he replied in disgust. He was informed that there was blood found in the scene. But the amount was inferred not an indication of a fatal wound. "Stark's alive. I guarantee it. If he were dead, they'd have asked for a ransom, tried what they could from his company."

"But they've been quiet… which means they think they can something _better_ than money," he said in a definite tone. He knew that this kidnapping was not ordinary. Especially if the Ten Rings were involved. That certain group was not the typical terrorists. There were something more to them, deep within the art of secrecy and the intel they have on such a group was scarce. His right-hand man offered to investigate the crime scene in Afghanistan but there was another far more important place to get information from.

And also, judging by the name of his organization, foreign operations are not his business.

"Given the lack of a ransom demand, I believe the Ten Rings are forcing Stark to build them their own Jericho Missiles," his agent concluded, "If that happens, it is most definitely a threat to the our country."

The man nodded in assent. He saw photos before of Tony Stark drowning himself in worldly pleasures. "Stark's no soldier. He wakes up to models, mimosas and massages. Not torture. They could turn him. Our national security is at stake."

Yes, this man did not seem the type to care about anything other than himself. He was not the man who would sacrifice his well-being for others. But there are still things he didn't know about famous billionaire. He didn't know at what extent Tony can go on further without turning to the other side. He also didn't know his whole story.

"Stark could be the kind of man who'd sell out his country to save his billion-dollar skin or he could be something else. We don't know," he looked at his agent sternly, "Talk to his partner, Stane and find out."


	6. The Cave II

**The Cave II**

" _They're coming!"_

No matter where he goes, there was always a list attached to him. A long parchment of paper glued onto his back, rolling over the floor behind him. It was a list of faults, mistakes, regrets. It was the things that he inflicted to himself, all misfortune that wreaked him. As time progressed, it grew longer and longer, recording every flaw and mistakes.

" _We need more time."_

It included the day where he played with his father's engines when he was only six years old when his mom told him it was dangerous, or the day he punched a board member because he made fun of his late father when he was eighteen, even that day where he stole someone else's girl and slept with her, and when he expanded his weapon enterprise to the global market. Yeah, that last one was a mistake indeed, he pondered.

" _They're coming."_

The list got heavier, he noticed, and it was heavy enough that the path behind his steps depressed into the earth, telling the world that this road was the path Tony Stark walked. If anyone would walk his steps will only pave the road to the hell he made himself. The hell he lived contradicted the full lavishness of his life. The world so vast and spacious that used to be filled with his golden wealth and carefree life was replaced by hot, scorching sand. Each sweltering grain was a punishment that clung onto his skin reminding him of every moment that he made a mistake.

" _I'm going to go buy you some time. "_

He wondered if there was ever an end to this list. But he was smart enough to know that such thing did not exist. Even if he died, he would leave some kind of legacy that will perpetually continue his mistakes. Along with his empire, the list will be inherited to future generations and it would just go on and on. But was there something he could do to make up for each sin? To the hands that built war and destruction… can it hold atonement? If there was, does he deserve it?

" _Stark!"_

His knees dropped. They have reached their limit. A pained groan escaped through his lungs as he felt more sand touching his burned skin. But what was more painful was he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember their faces. The soldiers' faces. Eyes shut tightly as he tried to gather his memories but no faces emerged. All he knew was that kid wanting to take a picture with him. It was such an innocent moment. So, so innocent. They were all just laughing talking about how he went 12 for 12 with Maxim's cover models. How the driver was a woman airman. He remembered her smile, so proud that she was able to serve her country. Then he remembered the first explosion. He remembered the booming sound of the hum-vee being thrown into the air. He remembered the screams, the gunshots. They yelled out his name. They told him to stay down. Then more gunshots fire until it diminished into a ringing sound. His head whipped left and right. He saw the bodies drop one by one, fire swallowing the ground. He remembered everything but he couldn't remember those soldiers' faces.

All he saw was Yinsen.

Another excruciating grunt came from his throat. He could still smell the metal drenched by his sweat and blood. He could still taste the rust from that mountain. The fact he made everything out of scraps angered him. Yes, he was smart. He was a genius! As the enemies slept peacefully knowing that they have captured him, they didn't know that he was building something no one has ever done before. The sheer ingenuity of the idea was completely unprecedented. It was an achievement. He was going to get out of that cave alive. With that metal suit that he built…

But he could've made another one for him. He should've. He should've seen that hole in his plans, the most important variable in the equation. He should've seen that one, only flaw—everyone's human. Everyone is made of flesh and bones, vulnerable to everything that he created. No one was made of metal so he made sure that he could have an armor to protect himself. But he didn't make one for Yinsen. Even if he made the armor successfully, he wasn't able to protect anyone.

He yelled his name again and again. "Yinsen! Yinsen! Stick to the plan!" But the man continued to run away from him, feebly grasping an automatic rifle, blindly shooting at the enemies. God, if only he was fast enough.

Brown eyes started to water, followed by an exasperated laugh. He was surprised that there was actual water left in his body. He blinked the tears away, hoping to conserve the little sanity left in him. The sun may have begun playing tricks on him because instead of golden sand, he saw Yinsen's body sprawled over the ground. He couldn't distinguish whether it was dirt or blood on his shirt but the man was deathly pale. His hands trembled but he didn't show it to the old man. "We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it."

" _This was always the plan…"_

The last time he heard those words, it took a toll in his heart. It was like Darcy all over again. When she was kidnapped, she said the same sacrificial words to her friend. Tony shook his head vigorously. The only question going through his head was "Why? Why?"

"Come on, you're gonna go see your family. Get up." He urged him. But the old man would not move. He only replied with a sigh.

" _My family is dead."_

Tony was sure that his heart stopped beating when he heard that. His tattered, battered heart was torn to pieces again. He grabbed Yinsen's hand immediately and his voice cracked as if he was almost begging. "Yinsen, Yinsen, get u-" shots fired from outside. He was running out of time. "Get up and we'll get out of here. We'll get out of here and you can stay at my house. I have a big house, you know, and, you know—

" _I want this, Stark."_

No, he can't let anyone die for him again. Too many lives have been lost. Too many families broken because of his name. No family should ever be torn down by him, or by anyone. "H-Hey. Darcy. I lied. Her name's Darcy. She's my daughter. I have a daughter, Yinsen. You know, I have a daughter. I have daughter. Her name's Darcy. She's like me. I'm not that likeable but Darcy, you'll like her. Have that cup of tea with her," he croaked. Yes, he told him. He had to. He had to tell him about Darcy. He didn't care about the secret anymore. He needed this man alive. Too many people are dying for him and it needed to stop.

" _Ah yes, I am sure she is wonderful._ " He gave a tearful smile. It was enigmatic for some reason. As if he already knew who Tony was talking about. " _Indeed, Stark… but… I want this. I want this."_

Tony spoke no further. Eyebrows knitted together and his lips pursed. He couldn't say anything anymore. He couldn't let a man live who already willing to die. And it broke his heart. Eyebrows knitted together and his lips pursed. Life was slowly draining away from the man's body and he couldn't do anything to stop it. "Thank you for saving me," was his last words to Yinsen and Yinsen looked at him straight in the eyes. Tony swore he saw it glistened with tears. It was the only ounce of life that stayed to whisper his last words, the last words Tony will never, ever forget.

" _Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."_

Those words echoed in his head like clanging church bells. It was as if he was again stuck alone in his mansion, with the thundering skies of the Ides of March. All he heard that day were funeral bells and the sound of Yinsen's dying breath reverberated through the tolling echoes. That day, he had no care of his life that day. He had no concern for anyone's either. He was alone in that big house as he was isolated in the desert. But today was different. At the moment, he had lives depending on him. There are people waiting for him to come home. And there was Yinsen's that was sacrificed so that he can keep on going. So that he can keep on walking no matter how painful it was. No rain was present but there was the scorching sand around him. No mansion but desert.

And he must get out of it. He has to. He will walk until his legs give up. Then he'll crawl with his hands. For two months he was caged in that cave, realized that the world outside was completely different. He was living in an entirely unknown place molded by the people he thought he trusted. And now he understood that there were lives that depended on him. He was already on the top of the world, but now he must walk on his hands and save the people affected by his sins and faults. The list that dragged behind his back as he roamed the sand, he will find a way to keep it from getting longer. The Mark I was a good start. It enabled him to find freedom and punish the men that captured him. It enabled him to fly. It enabled him to realized how to live his life as its meant to be. And the glowing metal piece embedded to his chest, it helped him to keep on moving. The arc reactor gave him another chance to live and he can't waste it. He'll live it to protect the people he loves, Darcy, Pepper, everyone. He'll find strength in pain of all the loss he suffered and find his way back home. And the name that stood high in the weapon industries, the name that he saw labeling the bombs and missiles that destroyed the lives of soldiers and families, the name that yelled war, the name that was given to him by his father, he'll know it again when it's called again.

"Stark!"

A pained grunt rumbled in his throat. Ah, he was hearing people's voices again. The voice yelled at him again and slowly it became nearer and drowned by fast-paced whipping noises from above. Sweat dripped down from his blood-stained hair and stung the skin burned by the Mark I suit while he craned his neck to see the roaring sound. He gasped as he heard engine zoom over him. Helicopters, they were helicopters. Finally, rescue came. His parched mouth cracked open into a scream, adrenaline pushed to make it louder, followed by an incredulous chuckle. There was a moment of hesitation for the thought that it could have been his captors taken a more drastic measure to find him again but he shook it away as his sun-burned arms waves for help.

The scene was hazed from his eyes the moment a figure hopped down the chopper before it was fully on the ground. He didn't remember whether it was the sand in his eyes or it was the moment his body decided to give in to the exhaustion. The figure ran to him calling his name over and over again. A mix of concern, shock, fear and relief was found in the person's voice. He stifled another laugh because it hurt too much but boy, he never thought he'd be happy to see his face again.

Colonel James Rhodes, flanked by more soldiers, ran, his heart and mind focused on the kneeling man on top of the sand dune. The man he never thought he would see in a while. He said his name again, hoarse yet drowned with longed relief. That was his friend, his best friend right in front of him. That was the man he could have saved if only he wasn't five minutes late. Many questions were rambling in his head, all laced with concern. He wanted to know if he was injured. He wanted to know what the terrorists wanted. He wanted to know if he was still the Tony Stark he knew. But only one came out.

"How was the fun-vee?"

* * *

"Stark's plane touches down at Edwards in three hours, sir. You want a full debrief?" the man in the black suit followed his one-eyed director as they entered the War Room. It has already been three months since they started monitoring the genius. Maybe this time, they can get some answers as to what happen exactly in the mountain of the Kunar Province.

"If possible, but don't push too hard yet. What I really want is a sense of whose side he's without setting off alarm bells," his director nodded, ambling towards the screens.

"You think they brainwashed him."

"I think he was in that cave a long time," he added. Just like the footage they got three months ago, they watched hellfire fall upon the mountains of where Tony was captured. Men were being thrown out in space and hundreds of weapon crates were being blown to pieces. Other agencies also believed that the ammo dump "accidentally" exploded. But he called it bull. "And I think have a mole running Stark Industries would make the Ten Rings a world power."

The satellite footage zoomed in more in the chaotic conflagration in the cave and then paused at the peak of the explosion. Something jutted out of the fire, it was something metallic. "Could be debris… could be missile…" the agent inched closer to the screen.

"Let's say they had Stark build them weapons. But they didn't have the right tools and it all went up in flames. Why not send him back to where he has all the equipment he needs?" the director's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't like his own theories. He hoped he was wrong, that Stark could be such a person. "We've been over Stark Industries financials with a fine-tooth comb. And there are _too_ many red flags." But war profiteering isn't exactly new, he knew that, but neither is treason. The director just wanted to know where to put the billionaire in a white-collar prison… or an electric chair.

He continued to ponder on all the possibilities and protocols he should take in this situation until another agent approached him. The woman held a tablet which showed Tony Stark getting in one of his private jets. The director blinked his one eye and looked at his informer. The woman pursed her lips and zoomed in closer into the picture. She seemed adamant in letting his supervisor know that something has fallen out of their control. "Sir, you ordered us to collect Mr. Stark at the Edwards Air Force Base at 0800."

"What exactly am I looking at, Agent?" the man looked closer. There was someone else following Tony. He tilted his head in confusion. "Is that his secretary?"

"Yes, that is Ms. Potts," she confirmed, "This photo was taken by one of our men in Inyokern Airport, 77 miles from Edwards."

"Please, get to the point." He sighed. He did not like where this was going,

"This was taken an hour ago. He already landed at Edwards at 0600 with Colonel James Rhodes and was received by his secretary. I am guessing here that they planned this to avoid the press but something doesn't make sense."

"Agent, is one eye not enough to stare at you and ask you to get to the point?"

The agent gulped. "His itinerary did not have any have scheduled flights. He is supposed to go back to the hospital for an exam and go back home. Right now, he's on his way to LaGuardia Airport. New York, sir. I took an extra step and looked at all his past flight manifests and there are a substantial number of arrivals at this same airport for the last ten years. Now, I matched that up with Stark Industries' Flushing and Coney Island branches' scheduled visits from the CEO and judging by the small amount of it, it seems that Tony Stark has other businesses in New York."

"It could just be another one of Stark's leisure activities," the other agent hypothesized, "It doesn't really mean Stark is has been working with terrorists for the past ten years."

"That may be true, sir. But sometime around 1997, Stark Industries purchased the 58th floor of the MetLife building for unknown reasons. It has become one of Stark's main choice of accommodation, and the occasional meetings with executives and monthly parties."

"This could be a front, sir," the other agent coughed, "I have this gut feeling that there is something else going on New York. And remember, a week ago we caught one of his servers using one of our satellites and it bounced back and forth to California and somewhere around Manhattan. This could be our mole. Permission to go investigate."

"No, stay here until he comes back. It's useless to follow him around if he has been really careful of hiding something for at least ten years now. I want you to continue checking his financials and his trips. Look more into New York. There is something else in New York."


	7. Right on Time

"Tony, when you said cheeseburger first, you didn't mean that—"

"Pepper, I've been held captive for three months, trust me when I say I want a cheeseburger," Tony muttered as hopped into the plane. It seemed that the plane had already been prepared for his departure. There were wrapped boxes everywhere, in all shapes and forms. There were bright-colored balloons and signs, all ready for an ostentatious surprise. "I didn't tell you where to get the cheeseburger though."

"Really? You couldn't have made a better excuse to go to New York?" Pepper sighed, "You know, she wouldn't like all these gifts. She'd only want one." She didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe that he actually remembered. There was also part of her that though maybe this was all planned. That he planned to be home by this day. The man has been gone for three months and this is the first thing he does. She took a seat and smiled to herself. There was something different in him, something that changed him in that cave and she just doesn't know what, but there were other things that were just the same.

"I know. The others are just decoration."

"Well, right after this, we have until 3 pm to go back to Malibu and have that press conference you wanted. Then I'm guessing Obadiah would want to talk to you privately after so I'm estimating you'll be free by 7pm. I'll have everything arranged for you then."

Tony responded with silence and took a seat across from her, and looked to view outside the window. There were so many things to do and it was only his first day back. But it didn't matter. He has everything on schedule and he was determined to follow every second of it. "What's the date?"

"What?" Pepper knitted her eyebrows, "It's the 24th. June 24th." Tony replied with nothing and coolly made himself comfortable in his seat. He took a glance at his watch and inwardly smiled.

"I'm right on time."


	8. Smile, Blink, Frown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reunion.

**Smile, Blink, Frown**

The schedule dragged long. It started with the Processional, then the Greetings, Pointless Choir Singing, Principal Speech, Superintendent Address, Honorary Speaker Speech, Salutatorian Speech, then her. Darcy Lewis estimated that it would take at least 36 minutes for the ceremony to reach her part. With that, she would have 36 minutes of nerve-wracking anxiety. The fact that she was about to give her first public speech did not help since she had been living in recluse for most of her life. She may be witty and sarcastic but only when it was needed. The attention she garnered was always unnecessary and she’d rather be with people she was comfortable with… and comfort was out of the question this time. She was by herself as always, seated in the front row of the auditorium, followed by other scholar students and staffs, while the procession was finishing. There were a multitude of noises behind her, from students and mostly parents who were so excited for their children. Mothers were yelling for their sons to turn around and smile for the camera. Fathers cheered for their daughters. Friends and family even held up signs and threw confetti. Good thing her own friends exuded at least an ounce of elegance.

“Darcy! Fix your hair! I can’t see it from here!” someone from the back yelled. The people around Darcy were perplexed. Judging from the source of the voice, they were surprised that such a voice can come out of that slender body. “You think people these days would have the decency to move away when someone is trying to take a picture, EXCUSEZ-MOI!”

Darcy grinned. She looked down to see her brown hair set gently over her blue gown. It was beautifully styled into curls especially for that day. Her ‘stylist’ came to her bright and early the day before and started prepping Darcy for what the stylist called “the most important day of a high school student—second to prom.” But to Darcy, today was the day second to nothing… since she didn’t go to prom (she forgot about it actually and she couldn’t care any less about it). Her stylist was eagerly sure to pamper Darcy more for this day. It was alright. She needed the distraction anyway. She needed to relax somehow. She had spent three months living in her basement in front of her computer screens. Since she wasn’t getting any results from all her hard work, she gave in to the efforts of her stylist to get her ready. Her stylist was also her friend, someone really close. She needed the company and that person came with no hesitation. When Darcy called her, she answered so quickly as if she had been waiting for that call forever.

“I got it, Jeanne! It’s fixed! How’s my face?!” Darcy turned around and yelled back, surprising even more people. The tall blonde in the back held a thumb up and “elegantly” snapped more pictures with her “sophisticated” zoom telephoto lenses. Darcy smiled widely for the camera, and tried holding back laughter. Not only it was already funny enough that someone graceful like Jeanne would act like an over-supportive mother, the two people next to her reacted in a way Darcy has always expected. Flanking the French heiress in the right was Darcy’s favorite artsy angel, Ivy Nguyen. She wore a simple yet fashionable dress that Darcy guessed to be something of her own creation. The newly-admitted FIT student sat with a timid smile, waving cutely back at her friend, mouthing words of apologies for causing such a racket. On the left was the ever disdainful Alex Meyer, who was accepted in the Mozart Conservatory in Salzburg, Austria. He sunk in his seat in shame, returning Darcy a grimace. “You owe me,” he mouthed. Those three were so different in so many ways but Darcy loved them anyways. All of them had already graduated and she was present in all of them even if she was the only one out of the rest that came. Jeanne was angry that Darcy was the only one that visited her in France for her own graduation, more angry that Alex didn’t show up. Alex invited no one to his and actually sent the wrong date to Jeanne. Darcy still came anyway. And Ivy was grateful enough that Darcy came. But that day, all three of them were present. She didn’t know the full reason why but she didn’t care. She maybe alone in her seat at that moment, but there were people that have her back.

Or was it because Pepper called two days ago and told her she wouldn’t be able to come?

It was no big deal, right? People were busy and she knew that there were more dire matters than this stupid two hour long ceremony. She wasn’t only missing a father; Stark Industries was missing its biggest shareholder and inventor. It was not only her that wanted her father back but the company wanted its chief back and the United States government wanted its weapon specialist back. She wasn’t the center of the world; she never has been and never will be. If she had to rank herself in how important her existence was in society, she wouldn’t even see the high pedestal that Tony Stark on top of the pyramid. After all, she wanted this. She wanted less attention. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to blend in with the crowd and be an average girl… the average girl who’s only graduating high school. No big deal.

Darcy shook the thoughts out of her head. She shouldn’t throw a tantrum. She shouldn’t be upset about this. But a part of her was laughing inside her head. It was just funny how she worked so much to be ordinary and she couldn’t have the most ordinary thing in the world: have parents come to her graduation.  _But she wasn’t alone, though._ Her friends are with her, friends that were there to support her. _But shouldn’t the mother also come to support her daughter?_ But then, Pepper didn’t actually promise that she would go. _But maybe she’s coming after the ceremony._ A woman like her is very organized and needs every time she can use to do her job. _Maybe she was just saving time after the graduation so she and her daughter can celebrate._ Yeah, maybe that’s it. _Maybe._

But she worked so hard on her speech, she pouted. Her nose twitched up. The piece of paper right there on the podium was something she never opened to anyone. It was something that she has always kept as a secret. It was time everyone should know about it. And Pepper was not there to witness it.

The mention of her name snapped her out of her rambling mind. She looked up to see salutatorian up on the stage looking directly at her with worried eyes. She looked around and saw more eyes on her. Everybody was silent.

“Once again, I introduce this class’ valedictorian, Darcy Lewis,” the salutatorian repeated while gritting his teeth. There was sporadic applause from the audience and she heard a teacher hissing for her to get up. Darcy closed her eyes in shame. She didn’t realize the 36 minutes to fly by so quickly. Not to mention, her anxiety was still there. She had no time to mentally prepare herself for the speech. The attention she was getting wasn’t helping either.

_Great, way to be normal. You’re on the right track, Darcy._ She sighed.

She attempted to response indifferently by putting her eyeglasses on, taking her time to smooth her gown and go up to the podium. She heard whispers in the back of her head—hackneyed name-calling and unoriginal jokes. Darcy thanked the heavens that this could be the last day she’d hear Sierra’s colorful vocabulary. But then, hearing Sierra’s voice was kind of calming her somehow. It reminded her of everyday, normal life. That was all she should be: normal, average, and ready to rock this speech. She looked down to the papers and saw the speech. Okay. Deep breaths. Smile. Step one: Greet everyone.

“Good evening, fellow students, dear teachers, friends and family. I want to thank you all for coming tonight,” she greeted with a smile as she looked up to see the audience. She didn’t expect the spotlight to be so blinding. She couldn’t see anyone in the audience which made her even more anxious, so anxious that her knees started shaking. Come on, she rehearsed this for god’s sake, why was this happening?

_God, Darcy. Don’t make a show. Just get through with this. Let’s be normal._

“To tell you all the truth,” she began, “I wrote this speech like a week ago. The one’s I’ve been rehearsing with the teachers for three weeks now was actually a speech I found on Google.” Laughs reverberated from the audience. Darcy also felt glares piercing her from the back. It was probably the principal. But at least the people were laughing and that eased down the shaking. _Be normal. That’s all I got to be._

“As you can infer, yes, I did have trouble writing this. At first, I was going to write about how dreadful the American education system has been acting so far, no offense to the school,” she grinned but she felt more stares coming from the back, “But I realized that would be too controversial because it’s true, again, no offense to the school.” She could see people laughing and nodding. _This is good. Keep going._

“So I confided with a good ol’ friend of mine, probably everyone’s friend, I mentioned him earlier… Google. And I looked up how to write a good valedictorian speech. Something normal yet that something that would inspire all of you, my _dear_ classmates, to follow your dreams and reach for the stars.” The last sentence oozed so much sarcasm that Darcy could probably be tackled by the principal any minute then.

“Then I saw that keyword and realized something. The word, ‘normal’. Definition: conforming to a standard, something usual and typical. Regular. Average. Ordinary.  I saw that keyword and I realized that there is no normal for me. There will _never_ be any ‘normal’ in my life. For all my life, I grew up believing that I was different. When I was born, my mother didn’t tell even anyone about me but, my legal guardian, her best friend. She didn’t even tell my father. Then my mother died, and left me to her best friend’s care which also happens to be my father’s secretary. So I got pretty abnormal parents.” Gasps spread throughout the auditorium. She wondered what Jeanne and the others were thinking.

“Also, I was also homeschooled in California because my Dad can be overprotective. But my new mom thought that I should be out there with the other kids and live a normal life and to not be so… different. So they sent me to boarding school. In New York. ” How nostalgic. Darcy remembered scenes back then when Tony and Pepper were arguing whether she should go to school or not. “I know, pretty normal, right?” The audience laughed.

“I was nervous because it was my first contact with other seven year old kids and I wanted to make a good first impression. My mom also thought that I could fit well with the kids there because we all had the same circumstances: overprotective and over-doting parents. But I had some troubles, you know, fitting in. I was quite different.” She moved her gaze to where her friends were sitting. It was hard to see because of the spotlight but she looked anyway. “I thought differently. I acted differently. I read different books. I said different words. It was ironic because my purpose there was to be normal and yet…”

“But you know, I had fun. I made some friends. It was hard, at first, but I pulled through and I made some pretty memorable memories. Good and bad. Then I found out that I wasn’t being normal _enough_. Boarding school was not normal, apparently. I wanted to be more ordinary. I _needed_ to be more ordinary. So I went here to this ordinary public high school,” she smiled. She was sure the principal was ready to explode any minute. “But guess what? Turns out there is nothing ordinary at all.”

“This is one of the most esteemed high schools in New York _and_ I got to meet all this school’s esteemed students and after four years, I found that the ordinary and normal that I’ve been looking for did not exist. One proof of that is this,” Darcy took out her phone. “This is my phone. It looks like a normal, ordinary iPhone. But you see, when I press the home button...” The audience watched intently as Darcy pressed the button. The screen flashed a blue orb spinning in the center. The orb rotated and diminished into a single blue line. Darcy pulled the phone near the microphone and smiled, “Hello, ASTRID.”

The blue line then distorted into audio waves and a dulcet voice echoed throughout the hall.

_Hello, Darcy._

Murmurs followed the simultaneous gasps of breath from the audience. Ivy and Jeanne grinned with pride while Alex just whispered how Darcy being a show-off.

“I’d introduce you ASTRID, but I’m sure the kids here would want to get diplomas already and get this over it so just show them what you can do. “ Darcy grinned, feeling satisfied of the people’s reaction.

_Entering the lighting system. Switching yellow spotlight 2 to yellow spotlight 3._

“Thank you, ASTRID. As you have heard, I now have control of the lighting system in this room and now I’m going to move the spotlight on me…” she tapped the screen of her phone then in that instant, all lights turned off. The entire auditorium drowned in darkness. Students began talking out loud, sending curses to the valedictorian on the stage. Parents started panicking. Teachers yelled. The principal could be having a heart attack. Darcy waited for five seconds to enjoy the noise until tapping her phone a second time.

“This year,” she remained in her calm disposition and watched the spotlight flicker on. It wasn’t placed on herself but on eleven specific students below her. All attention were focused on the eleven as Darcy said, “These eleven students participated in this National Robotics Competition and won first place after presenting their humanoid creation playing the piano. If you tell me, that’s normal then there’s something wrong with you.” A few students bowed their heads in embarrassment as people began to clap for them. Darcy waited for the applause to die out until she tapped the second time, adding another spotlight on another group of students.

“These are our Mathletes who traveled to Lenana, Kenya to teach other children math. They rose over $5,000 through fundraising and winning math competitions to build a school for these children. That’s something you don’t see every day.”

Another tap.

“There are our art students who painted murals in soup kitchens around the city.”

“Our cheerleading girls who got the State trophy two years in a row now.”

Darcy could’ve thought that she just saw Sierra smiling at her. The girl actually looked nice for once.

“And our football team, led by Chuck Johnston, won the New York Championships for three years in a row—a victory that this school has not seen in twelve years.” Applause and cheers roared through the auditorium as Darcy tapped her phone again to shine the spotlight over the football team. She caught the eyes of the certain jock that tormented her for four years. A wide smile greeted her, blue eyes ajar in shock that asked why she was doing this, why was doing all of this. 

“And to save the best for last,” she tapped the glass and turned on the lights on the entire student body “…is all of you who made it through these four years thanks to all your great talents, excellent skills, impeccable intelligence, and unparalleled hard work.” The whole auditorium roared with cheers and claps. Someone even started throwing confetti. Darcy laughed at the sight. Everything was going well. “Not only that, we are here to not thank ourselves for our awesomeness, but to thank our teachers who did everything in their power to keep us here even though there were times when we didn’t want to go.” She added another light on the first rows where all teachers and mentors were seated as laughs erupted. “So, yeah, teachers, you get a spotlight, you fantastic beings you.”

Then Darcy gulped. Blue eyes blinked as it scrolled down the page of the speech. It was already reaching its end.

“But all amazing things have its amazing roots,” she turned her gaze to the back of the room, “Without them, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are standing now. They taught us how to laugh, how to cry, how to love. Their support is what kept us going. Their company encouraged us to be more than normal. And now, I present the last spotlight to the last group that made all this possible.” She stared at only one part of the back. Even though the area was all under shadows, she kept her gaze straight to the two seats where _they_ would have sat. She stared only at the seats unfilled by the two people she cared about. They weren’t there and she was aware of that but it wouldn’t hurt to imagine that they’d be there in their little blonde wigs, listening the entire time. It wouldn’t hurt to make up a fantasy that the two of them would be sitting there with smiles filled with pride for their daughter. It wouldn’t hurt to think that they were there to look at her back.  She tapped her phone again to turn on the last spotlight and brought out the biggest smile she had made in her life. “To our friends and family, thank you.”

Darcy blinked to adjust her eyes to the light. Then she blinked again… just to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating or anything. All eyes were placed on her, ovation raised to a higher volume. She smiled when she met their eyes. She smiled, blinked then frowned. Then came another blink and she smiled again. Then a frown again. The cycle repeated with increasing intensity as the crowd filled the hall with applause. Smile. Blink. Frown. Smile. Blink. Frown. Smile. Tears. Blink. Frown. Tears. Blink. Smile.

Somehow she forgot the words written on the paper in front of her. There were more sentences left to be said but there were things that weren’t written on the script. Some things were not supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to kick this speech in the ass. She wasn’t supposed to be normal. And certainly, she was not supposed to have the power to make imaginations come true. As she smiled, blinked, and frowned repeatedly, she scanned the audience to see if anyone was seeing the same things she was. She glanced at Jeanne who looked at her with worry as continued to smile, blink and frown. Her eyes began to burn as she returned her gaze back to the two seats she wanted to be filled. Tears threatened to fall as she smiled again. Two people smiled back. She blinked. And they were still there—smiling at her.

They were there. They were there. They were there with her. She was there. _He_ was there.

Darcy’s smile flattened to one last frown. This last frown was all of it—all of the emotions she felt for past three months combined. The frown which held all her sadness and worry became the frown that became her release. . Everything that she had been holding back for so long and it all came pouring down. As she let all of her fears away into that one frown, as her worries weighed her tears down from her twinkling blue eyes, comfort and relief resurfaced in her body. Happiness flooded back in her mind while all the doubts rushed out.

 He’s home. He is home. He is finally home. She repeated that sentence over and over again inside her head as she kept her gaze straight like an arrow while the she whispered, “Thank you.”

“Thank you,”she said again…and again. She bowed her head to hide tears and continued to whisper, “Thank you.” It was only a matter of time that the audience saw their dear valedictorian streaked with tears. _He promised me. He promised me that he will come. And he did. He came. He came home. He_ _’_ _s finally home._

At that instant, a loud cough from behind broke the silence, distracting Darcy from completely breaking down right on the stage. Blue orbs opened wide and realized that the papers in from of her were wet from her tears. The last paragraphs of her speech was blurred and distorted from the teardrops. She sniffed silently and wiped the tears off her face and paper. The words were already unreadable but that was fine. She already memorized the whole thing anyway.

“There is _nothing_ ordinary, _nothing_ normal about any of us,” Darcy breathed out, letting a quiet sob escape along her words. “And we have to remember that every moment we set a foot to the whole new world out there. Stand up tall and look ahead with determined eyes. Months ago, I felt my ground shake as my mind and body could not find any inspiration to write this paper and among other things. All of us encountered one of those days and we will continue to experience them in the future. But don’t forget who you are and where you came from. I actually acquired a book from my father…” she coughed. All eyes were on her but her own blue eyes remained steady on one specific person. The man stared back just the same.  “He thought that he had given me a book belonging to my mother but actually it was just a random book from his office. He fails on being sentimental but I give him a star for effort. I’d point you all to him but he doesn’t like attention,” she chuckled, earning smiles from the two people she was staring at. Finally, there were people that shared her inside jokes.  “But I read it anyway because you know, I’m a big nerd. And there is one thing that stood out to me…‘Every Stark must always have iron in his backbone’.”

The audience gave no reaction but she saw her friends’ eyes grow wide. Ivy stifled a gasp and Jeanne slacked her jaw open. The two people who don blonde wigs in the back must have been shocked too.

“It’s a big secret that I’ve been meaning to tell everyone,” the valedictorian grinned, “I’m secretly a Stark… wannabe.”

Darcy could’ve thought she heard sighs of relief or… was it failed anticipation?

“I mean, we should all be like that, that is the only message I give to you tonight… Not a wannabe Stark, but a real Stark, or even someone _greater_ than the great Tony Stark. Be someone that stands strong with iron seeping through bone. Be someone that aims high and make the world better. Like a Stark, we will make our marks on our world. Like a Stark, we give a brighter future. Like a Stark, be extraordinary. Thank you and congratulation to the not normal class of 2008.”

Silence rang in her ears. She immediately had the inkling that her speech may not have sounded awesome as it did in her head. Maybe the speech was too long, too dramatic, pointless, uninspiring, cliché. Or maybe it was just too awesome they just couldn’t handle it. Darcy nodded at herself. Yup, her speech was too awesome.

She scanned the crowd and saw the people were just staring at her. Even the people backstage were just standing there. Okay, maybe it really did suck. But there was no sense of disappointment or anything. People weren’t looking at her with sad eyes. There were no awkward glances or disapproving gazes. They were all just looking at her… as if they were waiting for something.

Darcy was done though. She looked down to her paper and saw that there was nothing left to say. She coughed inwardly to pass the awkwardness she was experience and began to gather her papers to exit. A part of her wished that she could just dash out of the auditorium right away but she was still missing a diploma in her hand. A part of her hoped that the ceremony could be over so that she could run to the most important people in the world. A part of her—

“Hey, you forgot one!!” The silence broke. All the audience looked to the back for the source.

Darcy whipped her neck up faster than she can process the sentence. Her heart thudded anxiously in her chest. She knew that voice anywhere and anytime. She knew that voice and she missed it. She hasn’t heard it in three months.

“W-What?” she stuttered, inching closer to the microphone. Blue eyes blinked nervously and impatiently for the answer. The man was wearing a sloppy blonde wig. A stoic face remained in his features. He did not reply immediately. Did he regret saying anything? He was supposed to be normal, right?

“Forgot what?” Darcy asked again.

“The spotlights,” he yelled. Darcy squinted her eyes to see more clearly. The man sat back graciously in his seat, arms crossed between his chest, one arm subtly covering the other wrapped in a sling. He was injured, but he held his chin up confidently. “You forgot one more spotlight.”

Darcy couldn’t believe she was actually having a conversation with him in opposite ends of a giant concert hall. He must be really enjoying this, she bet. However, she was still confused. She had a list of whom to shine the spotlights on and she got all of them. She scrambled through her papers and everything checked. Nothing and no one was missed. Who else has she forgotten—the principal?

“I-I don’t understand,” she stammered, “I didn’t forget an-

“You, goddamnit,” she heard a whisper from behind. She turned around and saw the principal sighing at her, “You forgot yourself.”

Darcy’s mouth turned to a little “o” as she realized. She debated if she should follow everyone’s wishes and shine a light on herself but there was thought to keep her humility strong. Plus, there might be someone in the audience who might be thinking that she was so supercilious that she kept the best for last.

“Meh, whatever,” she shrugged as she tapped her phone. The sound of the spotlight flickering on was loud and her eyes flinched at the brightness. But what even surprised her more was the boom of applause that followed. A grin grew on her face as she saw her two most important people stand up, followed by her friends, then everyone. She felt the need to bow her head in thanks, her brown curls covering her eyes, but for once in her life, she felt everyone’s eyes on her and she _liked_ it. It wasn’t so bad after all. The feeling was exhilarating.

_Oh god, I’m becoming like Dad._

Darcy’s head snapped up again.

_Oh my god, Dad._

She looked again to where he was sitting.

_Dad?_

The seat was empty. Her grin returned to a frown. The seat next to it was also unfilled.

Has she been hallucinating all this time? Has her fatigue come to the extent where she has mixed fantasy with reality? Of course, he wouldn’t be there. It couldn’t be possible that he would return the day she was graduating. It’s not like he planned to be missing all three months to return the right day. And if he did return, Pepper would be there to tell her. She would get a call or some kind of alert. He couldn’t be possibly be back. It was not just logical. It just wouldn’t make sense.

“And now, I will give our Superintendent to commence the presentation of diplomas,” she spoke stoically and proceeded to walk down the stage. Her legs felt limp as she went back to her seat. Blue eyes monotonously watched the faculty prepare the diplomas. Of course, he wouldn’t be back. He wouldn’t be back to hear the Principal call her name. He wouldn’t return just to see her walk across the stage and receive her diploma. It was a measly thing anyway. It was just a piece of paper. As other students cheerfully hopped down the stage with big smiles, she felt as if she was walking a walk of shame back to her seat. Everything was a blur after that. Students stood up and lined up for the stage. She got her diploma first and she tiredly watched other people jumped for joy as they got their own. Cameras flashed, parents clapped, hats rose high in the air. Maybe Jeanne, Ivy and Alex were there screaming for her like the other families, but she couldn’t bring her head up. She was afraid that she’ll see the two empty seats again.

“You almost gave me a heart attack right there in the end, you know? Mentioning your grandfather and stuff.”

“Well, that would’ve been a really funny joke if you knew my situation right now, right Pep?”

“I didn’t know if you were gonna turn that light on yourself. I was ready to shine you a blue circle light.”

Smile.

“Again, inside joke.”

“Hey, didn’t I always tell you to keep you chin up? Straighten your back and look at me, kiddo.”

“So much for that ‘A Stark must always have iron in his backbone’ thing. Again, that almost gave me a heart attack.”

The other students were busy with their own celebrations. They laughed with their friends, hugged their families. But she sat there with genuine disbelief as if it was the first time she was taken by surprise that day. She counted to five to see if she would be shocked again because they weren’t really there. She pinched herself and blinked multiple times. Both of them were grinning at her, blonde wigs shimmering along with the stage lights behind them. Pepper held a sincere smile, proud and happy for her daughter. The other looked at her with a smug grin that held more pride in himself because everything went according his plan. He indifferently inserted one hand into his pocket and held a ‘thumbs up’ with his injured one. Darcy was ready to jump out of her seat to wrap her arms around them but she controlled herself. If she wasn’t careful enough, all her emotions would just overwhelm her and she. Herself, was unsure of what the outcomes would be. Instead, she wiped her tears away and timidly asked, “Can I hug you?”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Well, this is the first time someone has asked for my permission to touch me.” Pepper could only smile back as she was as well trying to contain her feelings. Darcy would’ve laughed at his retort but she couldn’t bring herself to. She had so many questions that swam through her brain as she looked at him broken arm in a sling. One was what could’ve happened that gave him that injury.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you can’t break it any furt—guh bear hug.” Tony groaned after Darcy practically sprung off her seat. He could feel her blue satin sleeves winding around his neck, her hair sprawling over her back. He chuckled inwardly and embraced her back with one hand. He forgot what a hug felt like after for long three months in the cave. Instead of smelling the arid sand, he smelled French lavender shampoo. Instead of being mishandled by immoral terrorists, he embraced her little girl again. It was a different feeling than his last hug with her. She was skinnier and somehow taller. Brown eyes softened. He was not the only one who has changed.

She used to be just a baby, someone so small that she couldn’t even wrap her hand fully around his thumb. He used to hold her and cradle her to sleep. He held her when she first said her first words—caught her when she stumbled on her first steps. He was there for all her birthdays.

“You’re here.”

He patted her head when she created her first circuit, her first program.

“I’m here.” He started to hear her sniffling.

He carried her while walking on the beach. He was there when she talked about going to school.

“I looked for you.”

He was there when she got to her first school, first laboratory.

“And, you found me.”

He held her after she got kidnapped. He was there while she recovered. He was there when she got the keys to her house.

“I didn’t sleep.”

He was there when she won competitions. He was there when she passed her road test.

“Me neither.”

He was there when she cried about her first boyfriend, her first heartbreak.

“You remembered to come.”

He called everytime he left for trips. He called before leaving for Afghanistan.

“I promised, didn’t I?”

Now, look at her. Look at her give an amazing speech. Look at her holding her diploma.

“Welcome back, Dad.”

Meredith would’ve been happy to see all of this. She would’ve been proud. But now, he was the one happy. He was one that was proud because look at her. Look at her.

“I’m home.”

Look at how much his little girl has grown.

 

 

 


	9. I am Iron Man I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: (I haven't talked in a while so yeah im gonna talk but feel free to skip, I guess).
> 
> I AM ALIVE. THIS STORY IS ALIVE.
> 
> Hey guys, I feel like all I do is apologize for not updating more often but guess what, I'm still sorry. I literally have no free time anymore. Also, I have all these ideas and I just cant seem to write it now. When I started out with this fic, I could easily type three chapters in one day but right now, it seems I have gone too conscious of what to write. I get worried over my grammar and my syntax and the more I worry, the more I get stuck. Arrrgh, I had an outline for this chapter but it took a really long time to write but here you go. I hope you guys are still reading this and do continue on supporting it no matter how long it takes for me to update.
> 
> I am now in the MCU timeline (started with Chapter 18, if you have not noticed) and everything will now be referencing the movies, phew it only took a gajillion chapters, am I right? (Thank you for being patient!) The only thing in my mind is that Marvel has films planned for Tony Stark and the Avengers and I don't think I could write that for that long. I could only do so much. I have a few ideas going that'll go with the Iron Man trilogy so I think I'll be ending Darcy Stark's story when I reach the Iron Man 3. This is not definite because I think writing about Thor 2 is a necessity and also I've been wanting to write something about Captain America 2. It all really depends on how the story goes (and what I feel).
> 
> Annnnd how are you all? (You have to answer because I'm familiar with those who regularly review and I hope you're all doing fab but I still want to know what you guys are up to anyway) I feel like I haven't talk to you guys in a while. All I do is post chapters without saying anything and some of you are probably skipping this whole note but since I've written 2 paragraphs, might as well ramble on some more.
> 
> I don't know if some of you follow my tumblr (you totally should because I want to communicate with you guys) but I just finished my first year of college! It was an amazing experience and I got to meet really cool people and party and of course, learn. I'm in the nursing track so my workload is really hectic but writing is a good stress-reliever. I've also become more open about my nerdiness about Marvel, even writing a research paper about it for my writing class and I got to meet cool people who are the same.
> 
> I have been receiving more reviews saying I've gotten Darcy's characterization all wrong while I was writing this chapter and it made me think about how I write Darcy wrong all along and it kinda made me lost motivation to write. I'm taking some of my time re-writing some chapters as well as writing new chapters, trying to see where I've gone wrong… maybe read more fics. I really want to continue writing and I don't want to stop (I've come so far, I've written so much) and I hope that the next chapters will be better than the last.
> 
> Now, this chapter is set after Tony takes the Mark II (the silver one) for a test-flight. This is closely written according to what happens in the movie. I'm just revealing (what could be) the behind-the-scenes of the canon moments of the film. I've also added the SHIELD events from the comic Iron Man: Security Measures. If you are unclear of what is happening, because of my inept writing, message me in my main tumblr: for a quick answer
> 
> Thank you guys for (still) reading. I know my writing can be bad sometimes but I try my best. I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

**Chapter 25: I am Iron Man (Part 1)**

* * *

oOo

* * *

Strategic Homeland Intervention,  
Enforcement and Logistics Division  
Surveillance Center  
Location: [CLASSIFIED]  
Time: Unknown

Dark uniformed agents scrambled around the room, analyzing the movement of one particular man. It was not too long ago that the supposed man of weapons manufacturing shut down the only thing his name was known for. The sudden reveal of Stark Industries' termination of its weapons development department heightened the suspicions of a certain one-eyed Director. He scrutinized every second of the footage of Tony Stark's press conference. He still has yet to find the billionaire's true intentions.

"I don't see what Stark gains from this," the agent beside him sighed as he fixed his suit, "He's drawn a firestorm of attention and company stock is in freefall. You think he's sincere?"

The man looked back at the agent with one glaring eye, "I'm paid to think no one's sincere. What's your take on Potts?"

"Very smart, very poised," the agent coughed, "She could probably run the company herself."

"I've considered recruiting her. Be nice to have someone inside but my intel says her loyalty to Stark is unshakeable," the man evaluated. He pondered carefully if the red-haired assistant was more than loyal to the billionaire. Looking at the last background check they conducted on Pepper Potts, she had started working for Stark nineteen years ago. According to data, she had no experience working in Stark Industries prior her employment, meaning that she was either referred by a personal friend or Tony just liked red-heads. Reports found that it was the former. The two did not meet until March 16, 1990, the day after the death anniversary of Howard and Maria Stark. Records said that she graduated from Empire University and befriended Meredith McCall-Lewis of the McCall Family, a close friend of the Starks. Witness accounts that Stark and Potts had a rocky relationship the first year of her employment, which did not surprise him, judging Stark's personality evaluation. But one thing surprised him which was the account that after that one year, the two suddenly became inseparable. He found out that at June 11, 1991, Potts and Stark's friend Meredith McCall-Lewis died from a car crash and Potts was named legal guardian of Lewis' daughter, Darcy Lewis. Bank statements stated that a small percentage of Potts' salary and Stark's resources was used to look after Lewis' daughter. He wasn't sure why Stark would care after another human being but he assumed that maybe this human baby could just be one of Stark's philanthropy projects. But something still smells fishy. One of his theories included Darcy being—

"Agreed," his agents broke his thoughts, "Although I got the impression she was as blindsided by this as anyone."

"Stay on them both. I've got to deal with some snipe hunt… a rash of U.A.V. sightings."

"Unmanned aerial vehi—"

"Director! We have a visual!" an analyst yelled out. Everyone in the room began focusing on the computer screens. The Director's scrutinizing eye glossed over the geographical pinpoint of the UAV. The signal was coming up from the west coast. It was moving dangerously fast and they didn't know what it was—which was even more dangerous.

"What feed is this?" he demanded, brows knitted in curiosity. The analyst said that the footage was patched from local security cameras. "Switch to satellite now."

They all watched in silence as they see a silver figure raise altitude in a speed nearing the speed of sound. The analyst zoomed closer and tilted his head, "Some kind of drone? Remote-controlled?"

The agent in the suit walked closer to the screen, "Why shape it like a human being? We're not that aerodynamic."

The Director narrowed his eye and said, "Could there be someone inside that thing?" Everyone in the room turned their heads and looked at him as if they finally saw his other eye.

"You're crazy. They just took it to the upper atmosphere!" the analyst exclaimed. The suited agent watched as the UAV started decreasing in altitude. It was malfunctioning as it iced up. "You'd have to be  _out of your mind_  to be in there!"

"Well, if you think about it,  _he_ is," he ignored their shock and confusion and turned around to move to another computer. Finally, he got answers. "Agent, pull up the Kunar Province footage." He kept his eyes steady at the screens as the agent pulled up satellite feeds from Afghanistan and placed beside the footage of the man-shaped drone. He viewed the screens carefully, assessing the movement of the silver suit as it jumpstarted to zoom over the evening traffic of Malibu. There was something similar between the suit and what he was seeing in the Kunar footage. They differed in shape and form but one thing was present in both. There was expertise. Accuracy. There was also the semblance of indifference; apathy for potential consequences. They were both precisely reckless.

The Director smirked. "It's Stark."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Surveillance of the board meeting showed that they are claiming post-traumatic disorder. They are filing an injunction._

"But he does have PTSD," Darcy sighed as she rubbed her temples, "He just doesn't know it yet." The night was still young and she couldn't sleep. Something was bugging her. Her father has been unusually quiet for a few weeks now and after the whole debacle of the press conference, her suspicions haven't lessened. After Pepper said goodbye and goodnight, Darcy activated ASTRID in her room. Multiple screens popped up on the windows which showed holographic intel gathered by her AI. She wasn't worried about the possible descend of Stark Industries but she was worried for her father. The culprit of his abduction was still unsolved. She only knew that it was the terrorist group, The Ten Rings, that captured him but she couldn't help but feel anxious. She knew that they wanted him to build the Jericho Missile, but there was still fear and suspicion that all of this was not over yet.

"How about banks accounts? Did you find anything?" she said, swiping panes of data left and right. ASTRID followed her command and began opening her statements hidden in the Stark Industries server. Going into the company had taken a while when she was intercepting other satellites three months ago. The process took as long because she had to fool an employee from clicking a link that she had disguised as a computer error. Stark Industries employees are smart so she knew it wouldn't be that easy. But then she found out that Pepper was going to send out a company-wide e-mail regarding their CEO's absence and that gave her a leeway into incorporating ASTRID into the message. As soon as her link was clicked, she was able to get into every account of every Stark employee.

_Hidden accounts were found inside these private servers. However, the resources used are extracted from the company's main shares. Shall I expand the search?_

"Discreetly, please," Darcy used her fingers to make the bank statements bigger. Billions of dollars were being used to order crates of weapons. Normally, she would find it normal but none of the transactions were paid by the U.S. government. In fact, most of them had nothing listed on the recipient forms. Blue eyes narrowed. These shipments only included ammunition that was nothing too special. They were all artilleries a standard US soldier would use: M16A2 rifles, M-4s, M-240s, and sniper rifles. But if those were nothing special, why work so hard to hide them?

_The rest of the shipping manifests are not in the network, Darcy._

"They probably put in some kind of hidden drive. We'll have to be inside the building to retrieve more files," she bit her thumb in irritation. Yep, something was going on. She'll find out no matter what. Azure eyes stared at the screens in silence. Numerous data popped out the screen as ASTRID went through every folder she had access to. Besides the bank statements and the manifest, there were news headlines that appeared. News anchors tackled Tony's decision with the company and called it his downfall. Many people mourned for "the waste of genius". Some supported it. A lot of them were requesting for his presence, others hoped that he'd just stay inside. Darcy wished for just one dinner with him.

"Wait, pause," Darcy raised her hand. The computer followed and stopped. However, the folders just kept on opening. "ASTRID, I said stop. Did you stop?"

_It seems someone else is accessing the files._

Blue eyes widened. Darcy quickly swiped the window to enlarge the folders being opened. Then, she hurriedly tapped a new window open to see the codes being typed into the server. "It's not someone from the company," she noticed the codes, "It's not Dad either. The language is different."

_Triangulating source…_

"I'll disguise you as a firewall block, ASTRID. No one can know about you yet," Darcy began tweaking her AI. Her heart thudded nervously. Part of her wanted to run to her father and alert him. A part wanted to keep it a secret to protect him. Tony is a vulnerable state right now, she shouldn't add any more to the problems.

_Rebound signals are coming from a corporate satellite owned by Hammer Industries. According to the files their virus extracted, they were mainly looking for weapons specifications from the Research and Development Department of Stark International._

"Business espionage," Darcy concluded. Other corporations try to hack into her father's company files every now and then so she decided not to worry. JARVIS would usually intercept these circumstances but it was good that she caught it earlier. Then, a sigh of fatigue escaped her lungs. No matter how all of this hacking thing has become her second nature, she has always felt tired after. Her fingers still shook for every code she typed. Her eyes frantically looked left and right for a solution.

"What am I doing with my life?" she groaned as she leaned her forehead on the window, feeling the coldness of the glass at the tip of her eyelashes. Iridescent letters and numbers continued to scroll down the window but she ignored it. She let her eyes wander behind the codes and to the crashing waves of the Pacific below. The moon ruled the sky and the waters, pushing and pulling the ferociously waves back and forth. She wondered if she could ever be like the waves, strong and confident of its power. She also wondered why she was doing all of this. Why would she stay up to get bank statements? Or stop business espionage from happening? It wasn't as if she was part of Stark Industries to begin with. Meredith wanted her to have a different life and so did Tony and Pepper. So when did she start feeling so responsible for it?

She told herself that it was for Tony. It was always been for Tony. He was the man that her mother loved, the man that took care of her when there was no one else left. He worked his hardest to keep her safe, protected her from the evils he lived to see each day. She nodded at herself. That reason was a given.

But when was the last time she did something solely for something for herself?

"There's a carnival near here. I should go," she muttered herself, forcing some amount of selfishness within her, "I could just easily ride a bike or something." But she immediately shook away the thought. This should be taken more naturally than forcefully. She'd rather wait for something she actually wanted and let herself succumb to it, for once. This year has been too troublesome, dealing with school, the abduction and other things. So, now would be the right time to finally worry about herself…

Right?

Darcy raised her head and swiped all the databanks close. She turned her back to the night sky and sauntered to her bedroom and reached for her laptop. Moving in to college was nearing and she forgot how she was looking forward to it. Instead of worry and fear, excitement shook her fingers as she began a Google search. "Hmm," she flashed a small grin, "Let's look at the internships…" and soon became engrossed as she was ten minutes ago surfing through shady bank accounts. Empire State University gave a lot of opportunities that it would be a waste not to try any of them. She imagined all the classes she could take—learning more about mechanical engineering, familiarizing in global political theory or maybe study abroad and see the world. Plus, she had found out that the esteemed college had an even more interesting bunch of alumnis. Her room slowly dimmed into darkness with only the light from her screen reflecting on her glasses. "I feel like I should know more of these people," she scrolled through the alumni page swiftly, muttering the names of renowned people, "Hector Ayala, Astrid Bloom, Curtis Connors—shame he became a giant lizard—blah blah, names I can't pronounce, Bob something, Emma Grace Frost…Virginia Potts—that person seems familiar—and ooh Harry Osborn—guess he graduated early—Steven Rogers, Richard Rider, Greg Salinger, Jonathan Storm and blah blah." She was surprised by how many influential people went to the university, including her mother who was listed as one of the successful alumnis. There's even that guy who Howard Stark couldn't stop writing about in his journal, the guy that was injected with the Super Soldier Serum, the guy that became Captain America. Normally, Darcy would be fascinated by the science of it, but after learning about the giant lizard and Oscorp, she made a vow not to touch any of that biochemical stuff. No matter how enticing it was, she didn't want to mess with whatever that made what she called, "that star-spangled piece of hot ass". The effects of the serum, from what she read from the journal, could be dangerously  _incredible_.

She spent a few more hours silently reading about the university in her room until she heard a loud crash booming throughout the mansion. She didn't hesitate to shove her laptop away and bolted for the door. Her heart raced as she dashed out of the room with her Taser, immediately running towards Tony's bedroom. She yelled for him as she entered the room but there was no answer. She huffed. It should no longer be a surprise to her to see the bed sloppily unmade and unoccupied these days but somehow she was still annoyed.  _Workshop, maybe?_  Half of her was sure that it could just be another prototype exploding, as it was the norm in the household. Half of her felt the same anxiety that overwhelmed her the day he was abducted. She crept her way downstairs using the walls as a guide through the unlit halls and rooms. The entire house was void of any sounds but the gentle, continuous splashes of the waterfall in the living room. She called out his name as she blindly stepped onto the steps down the basement. No answer.

"Dad? Are you there?" Darcy called out again as she sauntered down. Nervous thoughts echoed in her mind, thinking of all the worst possible outcomes that resulted such a loud noise, thinking whether she should call Pepper or not. She snuck a peek through the glass doors of her father's workshop, gripping the Taser in her hand. The lights were dimmed down and only the intermittent blue blips of lights coming from the computers can be seen among the darkness. Blue eyes darkened by the night squinted through the shadows of the room to search for some semblance of her father, but saw no one but the pair of robots standing idly near the work desks. She showed a small smile as she tapped lightly on the glass doors, waking the robots. "Hi, DUM-E. Is Dad there?" she asked. Her question was muffled but the robot whirred in comprehension. It shook its claw left and right into a "no" and spun to grab something from the table behind him. Darcy leaned in more to the glass to see the little contraption took and saw it was a glass cup filled with some kind of golden liquid.

The girl immediately frowned and sighed. She knew well what the liquid was and she hasn't seen a bottle of it opened in a while. Tony Stark is not truly home until a bottle of scotch has been opened. "Do you know where he went?" Darcy tapped the glass to catch the attention of the droning robot and it shook its claw again. She replied with a flat smile and averted her eyes to the ceiling. "How about you, JARVIS?" she raised her voice. The robots began to power down as a disembodied voice replied.

_He went out for a drive, ma'am._

Her eyebrows knitted in worry and confusion, "But he drank. Can you call him please?" She crossed her arms and waited, standing idly in front of the glass doors of the lab. Tony maybe reckless but he would never drive drunk.

_Mr. Stark asked me to tell you that he is busy at the moment but will contact you shortly after his rendez-vous._

Darcy shook her head and said that it was fine. She perfectly knew what Tony Stark's little 'rendez-vous's meant and she was experienced enough to know not to ask further questions. A loud sigh grumbled through as she turned around. She wondered if there was any point to her worrying. He just came home, she knew that, but there was an unusual gap between him and her. Maybe Tony went out tonight to get a sense of normalcy in his life after spending time in a cave but there was something different. Something else was blocking him. As if there was a thin layer that covered him, keeping him from opening up to her. Time can only be the remedy to his situation but what if she runs out of time? It won't be long until she goes back to New York for college. It won't be long until she leaves.

What will he do then—she was curious. What will he do then when he realizes that after three months in a mountain deprived of his family had also deprived him three more months with his daughter? What will he do? What can he do?

"Goodnight, guys," Darcy breathed out, turning around, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, I hope." She took a step up the stairs until she saw a light glimmer on the reflection on the glass doors.

"Dude, no way," she whispered to herself as she spun her body around to look for the source. Behind DUM-E was something she had not encountered before in her life and she had been dying to see what it was the moment she saw it shine through her father's shirt. "Dude, is that what I think it is?" she gasped, pressing her body close to the glass, hoping that her body would go through so she could finally check it out. Her hand unconsciously slid to the right where the electronic keypad was located and mindlessly tapped her passcode. A loud beep broke her out of her trance, reminding her that her passcode no longer worked in the lab.  _ACCESS DENIED,_ it beeped red. Darcy groaned loudly and banged her head on the door. Tony has restricted her from coming into his shop for annoyingly unknown reasons. She banged her head again at the memory of Tony always changing the subject whenever she would ask why. She banged it again when she remembered that the thing was right there and she couldn't get it. She banged again hoping that her head would break the glass.

Fortunately, two robots powered back on as Darcy's banging progressively grew louder. Their whirring noises gave her an idea. She told herself earlier that when she finds something she wanted, she'd let herself fully succumb to it. She couldn't stop now, she has to have it. So she snapped her head up to look at the two of them and smirked.

"DUM-E and U? You see, it's like 2 am and I wasn't gonna talk about the random hole in the living room I just saw earlier but it has become useful to me so you're going to get that arc reactor for me."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_I received the subject's dossier days ago from Dr. Erskine a few days ago. If I remember correctly, the subject was 95 lbs., 5'4'', with severe ailments such as asthma, scoliosis, arrhythmias, deafness, ulcers and anemia. God, I still can remember when I first saw that kid. Wind can probably knock him off his feet._

_And now look, he's taller than me._

_S._

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I still can't believe something like this would be inside him," Pepper muttered to herself. She eyed the circular device sitting on top of the coffee table. Long, slender fingers reached for its glass case and pondered. It was strangely small, since it was supposed to be the miniaturized version of the one in Stark Industries and yet it was incredibly large to be something in someone's body. Copper coils surrounded the outer circle of the reactor. The light from the windows gleamed through the glass, hitting the words the engraved in the metal. She smiled to herself, wondering if she had made the right choice for the words. "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart, huh?"

The contraption was supposed to be an electromagnet to keep the shrapnel from reaching his heart, according to Tony. A bomb that was labeled by his own name had exploded in front of him during the ambush. Pieces of metal pierced his body—his arms, legs, face and chest. He could've died without the help of the arc reactor… he could've bled to death. But thanks to this little thing, he continued on breathing. He could still keep being Tony. He could still be her boss. He could still be Darcy's father.

Her chest twisted at the thought of what would've happened if Tony never came home. It was on her mind all along throughout the past three months that Darcy could become fatherless. She wouldn't know what to do. She didn't want to think about the chance but she knew she had to prepare for all outcomes. If Tony died, she would have to take care of Darcy alone. But to take care of Darcy, she would have to resign from being affiliated with Stark Industries. Stane would take the reins and Darcy wouldn't have any more luxury of being protected by Tony's power. She would have to say goodbye to all the resources she was given in keeping Darcy safe. She would have to move somewhere else, maybe move back to New York, and start a new life.

There was also the probability that Darcy's identity would be released to the world. After all, she was the true main successor of Stark's global empire and there would be no use of keeping her name a secret when everybody would want Tony's power. Darcy would be forced to become CEO and face the dangers of the corporate world at such the early age. It would be just be reliving the time when Tony had to take over after his parents died and Pepper didn't want that. She didn't want Darcy to walk the same path as Tony when he was young. She had already lost a mother, and she didn't want her to also lose a father. Losing her father also meant losing her freedom.

She and Tony worked their lives to keep Darcy in the light. They wanted her to be untouched of the darkness Tony had to be thrown into. So if Tony died, Darcy would be thrown in the same hole.

How could she be prepared for something like that?

"What would've I done, Meredith?" she whispered to herself, softly humming a lullaby she would hear beloved best friend sing. Meredith would always sing the same notes when they used worked together. She sang the same words when she cradled Darcy. She sang it until her last breath. Meredith knew what to do, she always did.

Blue-gray eyes looked straight at the center of the reactor. "You should've been there that day," she murmured at the device, "You could've save Meredith too."

"The arc reactor is designed to be a repulsion-based fusion system that can generate over three gigajoules per second," Pepper flinched when she heard a person suddenly. "It's only meant to be some kind of power source."

Pepper looked to see Darcy standing near her bedroom, holding an opened packet of Pop Tarts. She had her brown hair tied into a sloppy bun, only clad into a simple black t-shirt and shorts. She fixed her glasses and frowned, "It wouldn't have save Mother by itself. If something was attached to it, however, maybe things could've gone the other way," she said, munching a piece of the Pop Tart, "You know, there's hole in the living room and no one's talking about it."

Pepper smiled flatly, "Yeah, and maybe you could spending your summers in France now, maybe Monaco." Darcy grinned.

"Oh? I didn't know Mother spent summers in Europe. That's classy and I guess we're not talking about the broken piano too," the girl said as she walked towards Pepper, "But right now, I'm here with you. Pop Tart? Wait, it's strawberry-flavored, nevermind." She jumped on the couch and inched closer to her surrogate mother's body. She laid her head onto Pepper's shoulders and reached for the arc reactor.

"I'm here with you," she murmured, "With you and Dad, with Uncle Happy and Uncle Rhodey—and three random gaping holes in the house."

"I was just wondering what she would've done, you know?" Pepper sighed, averting her blue eyes to the windows. The Pacific was calm in the midst of the summer day. Seagulls squawked over the waters, oblivious of the tremors of her thoughts. She should stop thinking so negatively about everything. She should be happy. Tony is alive. He came back. And she has this wonderful girl in her arms.

"She wouldn't let me check out this awesome tech, for sure," Darcy said, raising the arc reactor to Pepper's level. "People would kill for this technology, Mom and I am holding it in my fingertips!"

Blue eyes narrowed as Pepper grabbed it back. "Why is this in your room exactly? I gave this to your father and I know I left this in the lab." Then she saw a smirk so infamous and cunning, she wondered why she ever missed seeing it for three months.

"I made DUM-E get it for me, through the hole in the living room we're not talking about. Dad restricted me from the shop so I took it and I'm gonna sell it on eBay," the girl said monotonously. Pepper was ready to retort but Darcy sat up and tucked the arc reactor on her lap, "Relax, I'm not gonna sell it on eBay. I'm not exactly lacking in funds. But let me tell you what I'm lacking though—a good old-fashioned father-daughter bonding time."

A small sigh escaped Pepper. Ever since he came back, he had been quite distant. Even during Darcy's graduation dinner, he spoke of nothing besides his dinner and how much he missed American food. Darcy would try to start a topic about Afghanistan but it would always revert back to him talking about parties and cheeseburgers. Something happened in that cave, she knew that, seeing that he closed the weapons department of Stark Industries the day he came back. But maybe the man is just not prepared to be open about it. She and Darcy were happy that he was back, but it seemed that something was missing from Tony Stark. The arc reactor may be there to cover his heart, but it did not mean that the hole in his chest was gone. He has changed and since they have not seen him in a while, they don't know if it was for the better or not.

"He had a nightmare again last night," Darcy muttered, leaning her head on Pepper's lap, "I mean it's not like he sleeps anymore, because he's always in his shop but when he does, he screams." Pepper frowned as she brushed her daughter's hair. The man seemed fine when she sees him. But it was Darcy who was there to see him break down each night. "You know, two nights ago, he was screaming about how it was so cold. He even ordered JARVIS to turn up the heat." Darcy told blankly. Half-lidded blue eyes stared emotionlessly at the glass case. "Sometimes he'll just turn on the kitchen sink stand in front of it, and look at the water. I came to turn it off then he just said, 'Thanks, Yinsen.'"

"Yinsen?" Pepper tilted her head. She had never heard of the name before. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion and worry.

"Yinsen." Darcy repeated and said no more. She gazed at the arc reactor stoically, fiddling the glass case back and forth to see all its angles. She was still quite intrigued of the science behind the tech and she had so many questions. But the man who created it was locked inside his workshop. Everything seemed normal with him after she came home after her graduation. It was an unexpected heartfelt reunion. They hugged, she cried, he made a joke, Pepper took pictures and he wanted to get a cheeseburger. Darcy was able to tell all of the things that happened when he was gone—how she was able to finish some of her research papers, how she practically exploded when her teacher asked her about palladium, how she had a fight with Sienna, and almost tasered her boyfriend. She told him the Christmas gifts she found from her closet and how she logged all her programs and codes in her new calculations book, and how she had so much trouble writing her valedictorian speech. However, she knew she had to leave out some stuff because the man seemed like he wasn't there with her at all. He smirked, he joked, he laughed normally but she remembered his eyes drifting far back into space. He was thinking, she knew that, he was thinking about something but she didn't know what. Maybe formally introducing ASTRID should be put off for now.

The two enjoyed a moment of silence, basking under the summer light. Darcy continued to eye the arc reactor while Pepper brushed hair and scanned her room. It has not changed a bit throughout all her eighteen years. Large panes of glass still panned over the walls, shining over the living area. She remembered being baby toys scattered everywhere and now, she saw books and metal parts. The long range of Howard Stark's library left their places in the bookshelves, and found themselves all over the floor, along with dull blueprints of his inventions. The grand piano her little girl used to play was covered, left collecting dust. She sighed. The windows were making the room so bright that she could see all how messy it was. Pepper leaned over to look at her surrogate daughter, "You should clean your room."

"You know, we should really talk about cleaning the broken piano in the living room and the gaping hole in the ceiling," Darcy sat up only to meet her mother's glaring eyes. She chuckled, "Come on, this room has been contained in an organized state of entropy for four months now, Mom. Are you really asking me to clean i—"

"Now." Pepper repeated, staring back with austere blue-grey eyes. The girl stood up with a childish grunt, setting the glass case on top of the coffee table. She watched her grabbed steel parts off the floor, kicking books out of the way. "Fine, let's dismiss the freaking holes in the house. Where's DUMM-E when you need him…" Darcy grumbled, picking up the stuff angrily, "He'd be more helpful here than with Dad—what is Dad doing down there anyway? Banning me from the shop like I was some kind of toddler running about with a blowtorch. 'I'm done making my weapons' my ass. I bet you he's making another missile down there."

"Darcy," the red-haired assistant sighed inwardly, gathering the books scattered over the coffee table. Tony made a wise decision in keeping her in the dark of whatever he was doing downstairs. She didn't know the whole story but she knew that he was up to something. Flight stabilizers and all that stuff, he said. "Maybe he just needs some time off, you know?"

"I wish he could just open up to me," she grumbled sourly, "and I thought I'd finally get to hang out with you two but here I am stuck in this room again. The only fun I get is getting to cut his shirts so he can show off his stupid arc reactor."

"Obadiah will be coming here more often to manage the company with Tony so your father wants you to stay here for a while until things become more stable. Unless you want to go back to New York, I could set up a flight—"

"I don't want to go back to New York, it's lonely there," Darcy smiled faintly, "and I want to be here for Dad, just in case he needs any help. I want to be here for you too."

Pepper's eyes softened and opened her arms. Darcy dropped everything she was carrying and went to embrace her. "I'm sorry things are the way they are, honey," Pepper tightened her embrace and kissed her daughter's head, "and you're such a good girl, I'm proud of you."

"I wish I can do something for him," Darcy breathed out with doleful blue eyes faced the waves of the ocean, "You guys are all I have."

"You are all I have too. You and Tony." Pepper asked herself before of what she could do. The answer was all with her all along. All she has to do is be there for Darcy as she grows, and follow Tony wherever he goes. She didn't have to think about moving or resigning, or even ask Meredith for help. She has the power to do anything and all she has to do is stay where in the same place. She made it this far and there was no going back.

Darcy revealed a cheeky grin, "It's a shame we couldn't go to that fancy restaurant that we planned for my graduation. Dad would've liked the dress we picked."

Raised brows came from Pepper as she broke herself off from the hug. "The blue dress? I only bought that because—"

"Because… Dad would like it." Darcy asked mischievously, leaned back to raise her eyebrows.

"Because it was elegant," Pepper corrected strongly, "I'm sure I won't ever get to wear it anyway."

"Well, I believe that the Firefighter's Family Fund benefit is coming up," Darcy looked away innocently, "Pretty sure that's a backless-blue-dress event."

Pepper stood up and smirked. She didn't expect that their conversation actually headed in that direction. "Darcy, I know what you're doing and it's not going to work."

"A daughter can hope," Darcy shrugged.

"Go clean your room."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Peggy and I were reassigned back to London. SSR is being retasked to go after Schmidt. I've got a few ideas ready but the Colonel put the big guy somewhere else… Alamogordo, I believe. He wasn't too happy about it. Hell, I'm not happy about it. Dr. Erskine and I didn't do all of this for nothing._

_S._

* * *

oOo

* * *

"You were right, Director," the agent walked in the Surveillance Center, "We've confirmed Stark's in the suit." The one-eyed Director waited patiently as his agent pulled up images of the not-so-unmanned aerial vehicle they found flying California. "We tried to hack into his home computer system but he detected us. He traced the signal to a satellite we own through a shell corporation. We set it up to look like business espionage."

The Director nodded silently.

"Our techs think he found a way to channel the heat of the suit's bootjets to raise the surface temperature of the armor when necessary," the agent added.

"This explains why Stark's backing off weapons. He's pouring all his resources into the suits and I can see why," the man grunted. "With enough of these, the Ten Rings could take Kabul. They could take Washington."

"Stark is a threat. We should gather more intel," the agent suggested. With one eye glaring at the screen, he made his voice stern and resolute.

"Well then, it's time you and Stark meet face-to-face."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Well, what do you know, the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan is actually in Azzano with me. It seems Agent Carter told him about the 107_ _th_ _going for Schmidt. This sketch I've attached was actually drawn by him. Didn't know the big guy draws. He ripped this page out when he found out there's no rescue mission for the soldiers. Well, we're going to save those guys tonight. He is, I mean._

" _I'm not be their dancing monkey, anymore," he said to me._

_I'm just looking forward to stop at Lucerne for some fondue._

_S._

* * *

oOo

* * *

_I have relayed the message to Ms. Darcy of your pretend rendez-vous, sir. However, she remains suspicious of the various damages inflicted by your discreet landing._

The dark workshop began to light up as he walked towards his computers. Getting out of the suit demonstrated the same difficulty as putting it on, much to his discomfort. But it proved beneficial as a hiding spot when he suddenly heard his daughter coming down to check on him. Once JARVIS has alerted him that she had gone to her room, he squirmed out of the suit and asked for an ice pack.

His aches did not subside the next night, when he threw another useless ice pack to the trash bin. The flight test for Mark II was successful, he believed so, but there were a few tweaks needed to be added. "It's not the first time I put holes on the ceiling, they'll calm down. Notes, JARVIS," he muttered as he taped another ice pack on his arm with duct tape, "Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude."

Blue-tinted computer monitors surrounded him, all showing various angles of his new creation. "Hull pressurization is problematic. I think icing is the probable factor."

He finally has the power, he thought while grabbing a glass of chlorophyll shake DUM-E had poured him. He believed he had it all, but this time, everything can now be grasped by the mechanical hands he created. He was even more powerful than before. Maybe this time, he can finally look at himself in the mirror. Maybe he can finally go to sleep…

_A very astute observation, sir. Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems._

…and maybe go to space. That would be satisfying.

"Connect to Cisco. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite," he ordered, taking another gulp of his shake, "That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?"

_Yes. Shall I render using proposed specifications?_

"Thrill me." He didn't want to show it but he was excited. This is something the world has never been seen before, something that his father would never have expected from him. Maybe this time, he could finally be someone that Howard would be proud of, despite all the neglect he received as a child. Maybe this time, people would see him differently from the billionaire playboy he was. All of those could happen, however he didn't give one single fuck about it. He never did. He didn't care what the people think. He wouldn't be in this business if he did. But all he looked for was the gleaming pride from the eyes of the people he cared about when they see what he has created. Tony Stark had a lot of faults so maybe this could be his redemption.

Maybe he could finally reveal Darcy's identity.

When Darcy was born, he knew immediately that the world he lived in was dangerous for her. He kept a promise to himself that he would protect Meredith's wishes and keep Darcy out of the wars he fights with his weapons. He promised to protect her innocence and her life. But sometimes, plans don't work all the way through. Mistakes and unfortunate events happen. Even with the stronghold he owned, he couldn't control anything. Sending Darcy to boarding school was one of them. Her abduction was one of them. Not being a good father was one of them.

He wanted to send her to a school close to home. Take her out in a fancy dinner. Buy her all the most beautiful clothes. He wanted to pamper her, care for her, do everything that his own father couldn't do but in the end, he had to live in caution because his name was not the safest armor in the world. But now, he has the perfect armor—a sword that can diverge away from his dangerous name. With this suit, there's no more room for worry. With this, he can finally protect the people he loves with his own hands.

Maybe it is the time for Darcy Lewis to be Darcy Stark.

[ _Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society.]_

Tony raised a brow and tilted his neck back to see the TV. "JARVIS, we get an invite for that?"

_I have no record of an invitation, sir._

He grabbed the faceplate of his suit and looked through the slits. Cameras flashed behind the reporter as she began to talk about him and his infamous press conference.

[ _…hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference. Some claim he's suffering from post-traumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks. Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight.]_

Well, this should be interesting.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Darcy tapped her foot nervously. Her presence in this kind of occasion was a rarity. She spent an unreasonable amount of time scrutinizing the flashy lights of the paparazzi that clamored over the flowing dresses and the fancy suits of glowing socialites who walked the red carpet. And she still wasn't used to it.  _Too bright_ , she thought,  _but it's all worth it._

"Darcy, here's what you requested," a voice called. She turned her head to saw adjusting himself on the driver seat, mindlessly handing her a pair of black binoculars. "These are military grade ones they use in night operations in Afghanistan."

The binoculars' green and violet lenses gave a shine as she took it from Happy. "You know, I'm not too used to this. Too many flashing lights."

Happy gave her a scoff. "You're not even inside the benefit, kiddo, you're sitting outside, inside a limo."

"Well, it's still too bright," Darcy playfully pouted. She then pushed a button to roll down the windows a couple inches and stuck the binoculars out. "Where did you say they were?" she muttered as she zoomed though the people going inside the venue.

"Before I left, I saw your Dad and Pepper going towards the balcony," she heard Happy. Darcy immediately swerved to her right and tilted the binoculars up, zooming in the building's balcony. "You shouldn't spy on them like this, kid."

"Hey, do you know how long it took me to get Mom to wear that blue dress?" she retorted back, staring intently into the lenses. "And do you know how meticulously I planned for Dad to see that news about the Benefit so he could go?"

"Pepper wouldn't want to be seen like that with Tony," her uncle sighed, "They're employer and employee. People will think—

"Have you not seen the sexual tension between those two? It's kinda sweet if you get past the "blech" part. You just have to get them the chance to-" Darcy added, moving closer to the window, "Okay! I see them! They're talking! They're talking really close to each other! Oh my god! Uncle Happy, do you want to see this?!"

Happy turned around to see Darcy slightly jumping in her seat with a big smile on her face. He grumbled quietly, "Not really," and then turned away.

The girl didn't hear Happy's remark and continued to watch the only pair she had been rooting for ever since she found out that they're actually not together. Darcy recalled the time when Pepper told her that she wasn't her stepmother. Pepper kept telling her that she was only her legal guardian:

" _So is Dad a legal guardian too?"_ five-year old Darcy asked Pepper as she tucked the little girl to bed. The red-haired woman smiled, " _You could say that, yeah. He's your biological Dad."_  
" _And you're not my biological Mommy?"_ she tilted her head as Pepper brushed her hair, " _But you're still my Mommy? You and my mommy in heaven?"_

" _It's complicated, I know,"_ Pepper sighed and looked at her with warm eyes _, "But yeah, that's how it is."  
"When are you going to marry Dad?" _ Darcy chirped which shocked Pepper. She didn't know how to answer her. All she could say was _"Good night, Darcy."_

"Mom always knew how to evade my questions," she whispered as she continued to watch through the binoculars. The two were just talking dangerously close to each other.  _Just a few more inches,_ she thought to herself,  _just a few more inc—"_ Uncle Happy, they're gonna kiss! They're almost—gonna—WHAT? HE'S LEAVING!?"

Finally, Darcy's sulking Uncle turned around to snatch a view from the binoculars. Darcy paid no attention to him throwing his body back to the back seat and let herself out of the car with a huff. "He's coming back right?" Darcy bit her thumb and paced, "But then it's pretty awkward to resume things, I mean who leaves in a middle of a moment like that?!"

"Maybe Pepper didn't want to," suggested Happy, "Maybe it was already awkward for them."

"Shh, Uncle Happy," the hopeful girl zipped, "Mom was nervous that's all."

"She's just there all alone," Happy replied and realized that he has staring through the lenses for too long. "This is getting weird, kid. We should go back."

Darcy looked at him with stubborn eyes. Then they softened in defeat. Forcing things (and people together) was futile. After all, she promised herself to let things come naturally. Life would be more exciting that way. Why was she doing this in the first place? It was Pepper and Tony's own private lives—something that shouldn't be meddled with. She wasn't doing it so other kids wouldn't look at her differently for having weird parents because no one knows about them—except for a special few. If the two wanted to be together, and maybe officially complete their family, it should be their choice and it should be done in their own time. They have all the time in the world, right?

Happy tucked the binoculars away in the trunk while his little niece mused quietly herself. He peeked surreptitiously from the hood of the trunk for lingering paparazzi. Darcy may not be known by high society but at least he was. Tony's bodyguard and driver should be careful of who he drives around Los Angeles in its prime time. No scouring photographers were around, he observed, everyone was too focused capturing the glamour at the red carpet. But amidst the clamor and their eyes on the shimmering people, only one looked the opposite way. It was a rather average heighted man clad in an uncomfortable-looking suit. The figure fidgeted inconspicuously while talking on his phone. Happy somehow felt sympathetic to the guy. He was probably just another driver patiently waiting for their employer to come stumbling out in lavish stupor. "Poor guy—probably couldn't get in for just one hors d'oeuvre," Happy muttered to himself, feeling proud that his years of experience have awarded him to do so.

"Are you bragging to me, Uncle Happy?" Darcy piped in, jolting Happy to push the trunk close. He looked to see his niece lightly smirking at him with raised brows. The smirk reminded him too much of his lifelong friend and boss. "Just get in the car, kid," coughed Happy, "If your parents catch us, we'll both be in trouble."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I made contact, sir. Set a time for an interview. This didn't seem like the place to press further," the agent murmured to his as he turned his back against the shining lights of gala. He silently watched people in gleaming jewels and dresses converse with each other, sipping luxurious champagne and fantastic appetizers. He had already quite had a few of the hors d'oeuvres while he waited for his target to arrive, and gulped a few smooth sips himself. Missions like this only come once in a blue moon so it'd be a shame not to enjoy it. He wondered if he should take some home for Sitwell and the others.

"The point was to let him known we're watching," his Director answered, "How's he acting?" The agent covertly turned his body to see where the billionaire was. Last time he checked the man's location, he was talking with a journalist by the bar. His intel reported that it was Christine Everhart of  _Vanity Fair—_  allegedly one of Tony Stark's one-time partners. When he laid the eyes at the bar, the man was not there anymore, with only the journalist left with two glasses of drinks. His Director waited for a response as he scanned the room quickly and then headed for the entrance. He followed the paparazzi's cries for Tony's attention for their camera , walking in a steady but quick pace to avoid any for himself. But the agent reached the end of the red carpet, past through Obadiah Stane and a few reporters, only to see Tony Stark zooming away into the traffic.

"Looks like he had somewhere to go, sir."

* * *

oOo

* * *

[ _The 15-mile hile to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern day Heart of Darkness.]_

Her words still continue to haunt him. Following the trail of a cable connected from his arc reactor to his armored arm, he watched footage of the situation in Gulmira. Carrie, Christie whatever name is showed him photos of weapons that was forcing these people in the TV out of their homes.  _Is this what you call accountability?_ Burning sand under his feet. Over lifeless soldiers. Exploding humvees. Crates of guns. Arid days. Freezing nights. Memories played on loop along with the ominous voice of the person he trusted.  _Tony, who do you think locked you out?_ Obadiah asked him when he has become so naïve and dumb. Families with worn-out faces, trudged the valley with little to no baggage. He watched little children clutch on their mother's hand, curious and embarrassed by the camera pointing at them.  _I was the one who filed the injunction against you._ He felt his hand twitch inside the armor as he screwed it on.

[ _Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power. Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant. Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings…]_

It was them. It was them, again. The same abominations that abducted him have expanded their range of victims. It was the same imbeciles who had his weapons mass-produced for their own villainous wishes. It was the same assholes that robbed his daughter of a father. Double-dealing. He should've predicted it. Hell, he should've predicted to predict it. He tightened his grip of the screwdriver and watched the repulsor on his metal arm slowly whirred on.

_[Around me, a woman begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents, either forced to join their militia. Desperate refugees clutch yellowed photographs, holding them up to anyone who will stop.]_

Yinsen's sudden image came up in his field of view. He imagined a small family of three clutching the doctor's photo, tears in their eyes, begging to see their father once again.  _My family is dead…_ Tony looked away to shake the image. Anger and sorrow burst into his veins, his fingers tingled into a glow and with the grim feelings he felt, bright energy repulsed through his palm and shot the ceiling lights of his lab. His blood-stained mouth. His fading eyes…  _and I'm going to see them now, Stark._ His arm swung back from the force and he realized the power he held. Yes, he promised Yinsen he'll change—he thought while in attempt to smirk at his destruction. He promised him that he won't waste his life—all of it will be poured into this armor. But others'—too many of them—were being wasted in the midst of his "change"—he then caught a glance of his face.

He frowned.

This war—he took a part in it.

[ _A child's simple question, 'Where are my mother and father?']_

Darcy's countenance appeared before him as he twisted his body to face the glass doors of his lab. He saw her smiling, pressing her porcelain cheeks on the glass door.  _I love you, Dad._ The Ten Ring's full intentions were still yet to be revealed but he knew well that they craved power and destruction.  _Be safe, ok?_ Her smile began to disappear. Her blue eyes quivered as his were Ten Rings saw him as a tool—the great Tony Stark as their weapon.  _I couldn't sleep, Dad._ As he viewed the footage of homes crushed by his missiles, lives taken because of his guns, families torn because of his technology, he realized that this violence began with him.  _I looked for you._ The moment he let his Industries take its global reign, he gave power not only to achieve peace, but also to create war. In a way, he was the perpetrator of his own abduction, the main suspect of his daughter's pain.

 _Darcy Lewis can't be Darcy Stark,_ he declared.

He shook the image of his sad daughter away, revealing his own pained visage looking back at him. Three mindless steps followed and he saw his reflection crystal clear.

_Not yet._

He saw a damaged man—a broken man with a hold in his heart. He tried to patch it, he saw, stitched his battered chest with metal.

_This is not my legacy._

The man will continue to patch himself up, cover each crevice of his skin with metal, so each mistake that he scarred into himself can no longer be seen.

_I'll protect her. I'll protect them._

An unconscious palm was raised pointed at the broken man. He felt the power from his beaten heart grow stronger, and snaked towards his arm. With the twitch of his fingers, energy burst through breaking the glass. Tony continued to send to blast until all the doors shattered to the ground. He paid no mind to the debris as he walked away. The damage was done. But he promised to fix it. He'll patch all his glitches. He'll cover all his mistakes. He'll hide the pain—until he reaches the moment where he can look at his own reflection again.

[ _There's very little hope for these refugees, refugees who can only wonder who, if anyone, will help.]_

* * *

oOo

* * *

The whipping sound of the helicopter slowly came down to a halt as he hopped off. Ever since the sudden exit of the billionaire from the Firefighters Family Fund, headquarters increased their suspicion and awareness of the Tony Stark's movements. According to witness, Christine Everhart, Stark seemed quite affected when he was shown photos of a town called Gulmira and immediately stormed off after. He even became more suspicious when in fact that raided village housing tons of arsenals were suddenly blown up to ashes a few days later.

"Well, Coulson. You got your wish. Welcome to Gulmira," his director stepped off the chopper. He and his agent lost their all-black outfits and donned sand colored uniforms to match the village's officials. But his one-eyed glare was still intimidating as ever. "Behave yourself. We're here on homeland security matters only. Anything relating to the local conflict is the military's job."

Coulson stared back at his director incredulously. He didn't need to be reminded of like a child. Then he saw, around him, lifeless bodies lying on the ground. Concrete houses were blasted to inhabitable shambles, covered with gunshot holes and blood. He heard children crying with their mothers, begging for a miracle that their father and husband be brought back to life. This used to be a peaceful village with peaceful people. All he saw was hell that shouldn't be called home.

"Copy that, sir."

Another agent approached the two, dusting something in his hands. Three scrutinizing eyes stared at the agent as he revealed it to be video camera. The device was battered around the edges and its crevices were filled with sand but somehow, it still powered on.

"Director Fury," the agent called, "We found this on one of the Ten Rings terrorists. You're going to want to see it." Fury grabbed the camera, and viewed the screen. He watched as the men in the video carry weapons and point at families who once lived peacefully in their village. Women and children cried as they saw scary men point rifles at their husbands and fathers. Coulson shook his head while Fury maintained a stoic expression. "This is consistent with their M.O. They record their raids on local villages…" Fury started, "…so they can show other civilians who get ideas about standing up to them… what the consequences are."

They see a larger man grab another man from his family and threw him on the dirt. He seems to be the leader of the raid, the agents concluded as they watched him order one of his men: "Kill that dog."

Black smoke covered the screen and they heard bullets fire. A woman screamed. A child called for his father. Then more screaming. The camera shook violently and whoever held dropped it in fear. The cloud of smoke slowly faded out and above the people who once held power over the village pointed their guns weakly at someone Fury and Coulson didn't expect to see.

"Looks like Stark made some improvements," the one-eyed Director smirked at the sight of the red and gold suit, repulsors ready.

The footage continued on with the clips of the metal man stop RPGs, shoot missiles, carry tanks, and blow up tons and tons of his arsenal into ashes. Fury and Coulson decided to investigate Stark's full intention back at the War Room. Fury stared at videos from Gulmira, Tony's flight test of Mark Two and the explosion made by Mark One.

"According to Stane," he started, "Stark pulled the old files on an alloy his father worked on during World War II…"

"I've heard about this operation, Director," Coulson perked up.

Fury nodded. "Project Rebirth, yes, and with that, I can guess what happened next." At that moment, they saw the metal suit destroy tanks in five seconds. "Stark probably found, what you could say, an example, of the alloy in his father's archives and used it to strengthen his suit."

Coulson flashed an almost childish grin. "It's pretty impressive, Director. What was the Project Rebirth's goal?"

"By the way you're smiling, I'm guessing you already know the answer, Agent," Fury tilted his head to raise a brow at Coulson. The agent immediately reverted back to a stoic expression and coughed. The director inwardly smiled and returned his eye to the footages. "But that's still classified. But to give you an idea of its importance, what Stark has is just a prototype… a  _reject._ "

This metal alloy was very important indeed. Coulson has read all about it ever since he was a little kid. He had the posters, the action figures, the trading cards. To think he was able to hear more about it now. How nostalgic.

"The final product was lost," his director sighed, "Although you can bet your life we'll never stop looking for it." He eyed his agent. It seems Coulson was full of hope.

The booming sound of an explosion reverberated throughout the War Room, distracting them from the memories of the past. The screen began showing Stark shooting missiles at crates containing his Jericho Missiles. "Interesting, Stark's making quite a point of destroying the Ten Rings' Jericho Missiles."

Coulson sounded resolute. "He knows we're on to him now. Maybe he's trying to wipe out evidence that he worked with them."

"Could be. But he made quite a show of it, blowing everything to a million pieces." Stark's true intentions was still unknown to them but Director Fury began having second thoughts about the billionaire.

"Director Fury!" an agent called out to him, panting, "Your bogey's been sighted by two F-22 Raptors! They're engaging now!"

A new video popped up in the big screens. They watched two jets follow the Tony Stark in his metal suit. The suit went supersonic. Fury threatened that if he ever touched a hair of the two pilots, he'll make his time in the cave seem like a day in the spa. But Stark began taking evasive measures, avoiding every single missile fired at him, and firing nothing back. No damage was done until he tried to fly away and one of the jet's wings hit him. The Raptor began spiraling down, the pilot trying to eject himself of the burning plane. It was at the moment they say Tony zoom down to release the pilot's jammed parachute when they realized they've been looking at everything the wrong way.

"Stark exposed himself to fire in order to open the chute manually," Coulson recounted, "Do you think he's afraid of provoking the military or something?"

"No I think someone's been playing us," Fury shook his head. "What would you do if a kid you've practically raised all your life has suddenly been accused of terrorism?"

"I woul—

"You would try to defend them," Fury completed his sentence. "Now that I think about it, Stane's has been quite forthcoming with information about Stark."

Coulson caught on. "Where do you want me to go, sir?"

"Back to stateside. Don't you have an appointment with Ms. Potts?"

"Good." Fury turned his back to him. His brows knitted together to a glare. He didn't like being played. "Look at the company's financials again. This time, focus on Stane's."

* * *

oOo

* * *

She opened the doors only to reveal him working on red and yellow robot thing again. At least this time, it wasn't covered with bullet holes. Pepper didn't know completely what she felt when she first saw him with the suit. Shock underestimated it. Amazement was not even part of it.

"Hey, you busy?" he felt her presence, pausing his tinkering of the hanging suit. She said nothing and only stared. There was something disconcerting watching him work on it. She couldn't see it as a weapon that Tony would usually create. This weapon had arms like a human. It had hands. It had legs. It had eyes—and those eyes looked dead.

"You mind if I send you on an errand?" he asked, his hands taking off the cables connecting the upper body of the thing to various parts of the lab. His words were gentle as if he was really asking for permission but she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer. She watched him stand up and head to one of his tool carts and tell her, "I need you to go to my office."

His eyes didn't meet her wary ones. "You're going to hack into the mainframe…"

"…and you're going to retrieve all…"

"…the recent shipping manifests." He took a small black piece of plastic and handed it to her. "This is a lock chip," he showed her the USB drive, "This'll get you in. It's probably under Executive files. If not, they put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need…" Blue-gray eyes stared back stoically. She waited until he was finished talking. "… to look for the lowest numeric heading."

"And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?" she finally spoke with a voice serious and yet incredulous. She felt as if she already knew answer but she prayed it wouldn't be so. This man was going too far.

"Same drill." He stated, turning his body around from her. She clenched the lock chip in her grasp tightly. Pepper knew what he hinted and she knew that it meant putting bullet holes again on that red and yellow thing. "They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them."

She wanted to scream but a sigh of defeat exhaled through her lungs. "Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again." Did he not realize how much weariness he had inflicted to her heart when she saw him squirming out of the armor?

His back was still turned to her. "There is nothing except this," he breathed out. There was a hint of fatigue in his voice but he tried his best to hide it. "There's no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else."

"Is that so?" she replied, when he finally faced her. She asked herself before what exactly she felt when she saw him covered with metal and bullets holes. She realized it wasn't shock. It wasn't amazement. It wasn't joy or pride. It was fear. "Well, then, I quit."

She tossed the lock chip to a box in front of her and turned around for the door. It was fear that seeped into her bones and anxiety that shook her fingers. She was scared of the thing he has created, the thing with the emotionless eyes, the one with weapons in his palms. She was scared of what he'll use it on, worried that his time was no longer filled with projects but now 'missions'. She was scared because this time, Darcy might actually lose a father.

Dealing under the table is a serious problem, a problem the company was bound to have. Pepper and he thought they would have everything in control but unexpected circumstances were meant to happen. What should be predicted though, was the plan of action taken if such thing were to arise. Pepper didn't prepare for this. Pepper didn't see that Tony would actually throw his body to the fire.

Her eyes shifted left and right. At that moment, she could embody the true assistant Tony was looking for. Someone clearheaded, prepared and strong. But her boss has gone too crazy. She shouldn't be handling these kinds of affairs.

"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?" he stopped her. She tried to ignore the thought that he almost sounded like he was pleading her to stay.

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony," she retorted, "I'm not going to be a part of it." Her grey eyes reflected the glow of the arc reactor, he noticed as she stated, "Darcy's not going to be a part of it." He knew what she was hinting.  _Think about your daughter, Tony. Think about the people who will get hurt too when you throw your life into the fire. Again._

His pain was contagious. His death waited for him like vultures while his family watched as the audience. That was why he needed for it to stop. "I shouldn't be alive," he started as he tossed his body back to a seat, "Unless it was for a reason."

Serious brown orbs looked back. "I'm not crazy, Pepper." He thought he knew it all. But he has been naïve all along. He was like a child manipulated by the adults. "I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right." Even if it has been beaten and battered.

Then he looked away. He didn't want to witness her figure to disappear to leave him alone. There were cables all over the floor and he trailed them back to the red and gold suit. Its eyes stared lifelessly to the ground. The suit was designed to be smart. It can soar in the skies in supersonic speed. It can evade heat-seeking missiles. It can free hostages from their captors. Will it now be a replacement for him? Will this suit become his everything when he was slowly getting nothing?

"You're all I have too, you know," her voice was clear as bell as she picked up the lock chip again. Their eyes met and were fixed intently. "You and Darcy. You're all I have."

The two shared the silence they always cherished. It was the moment when they know that both of them are on the same page, the moment when they have come to full understanding with each other. It was the moment when no one else can come and ruin—

"—Are we having a moment?"

"—I have to go."

Except for the both of them.

Pepper tucked the lock chip in her purse and walked quickly to the stairs while Tony spun his chairs around to face his creation. No farewells were said as cool air moved slowly between. Tony felt something in his gut, urging him to continue their conversation, telling him to say something different. Maybe resume their other 'moment' back at the Firefighter's Benefit. But he was too prideful to do so. There weren't enough words to express what he feels.

"Tony? About that night…" he suddenly heard, and he immediately whipped his head to the source. The door was slightly open, revealing Pepper's red hair gracefully tilted as she poked her head in. His mouth twitched inwardly to a small smirk, thinking that maybe she was over the awkwardness and  _was_ ready to resume things.

"Oh? The Benefit thing? We can tal—

"The one when you came back with bullet holes," the alert assistant immediately interjected, which closed the genius' mouth right away. "Rhodes's upstairs. He wants to talk."

oOo

"You crazy son of a bitch!" was the first thing he heard. Tony silently received his best friend's lashes of anger and watched him pace around the living room. In the background was footage of Colonel James Rhodes in a press conference about a recent F-22 crash.

"Are you gonna ground me?" Tony asked monotonously, tilting his head left and right to get a better view of the television.

Rhodes glared. "What were you thinking?! A suit?! What happened to the closing the weapons department BS?"

"I thought that you being the liaison between Stark Industries and the military, you would be happy about this—" the billionaire muttered back, trying to grab a view of the screen, "Wait, look at this part, I love the way you minutely scowl at the camera. Is that directed to me?"

"I'm not speaking as a liaison, Tony," Rhodes sighed as he stopped his pacing to completely block Tony's field of view, "I'm speaking as your friend—

Tony rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, leaning back to the sofa to fully look at his livid friend. "I'm sorry, Mom. I won't do it again. Come on, please let me show you-"

Rhodes raised a finger, and closed his eyes to contain his anger. "—and as Darcy's godfather." At that instant, he caught the playboy's full attention. He saw his eyes look up to him, unnerving yet confused.  _How is this about Darcy?_

"You've been building this suit thing downstairs?" Rhodes spoke in a softer tone, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of Tony. The man opened his mouth, ready to spew out engineering jargon at him but the colonel spoke abruptly. "No, I told you, the less I know, the better. I'm gonna ask again. This suit—it's downstairs?"

"Mark Two and Three," Tony answered proudly. His best friend immediately slouched his shoulders. "There are  _two_  of them now? I'm guessing you took the first one for a first drive?"

"Just around California. You see—there was an icing problem—it's just a prototype—but JARVIS—"

"Did you even think about what would happen if one of our drones followed your unregistered aircraft ass home?" Rhodey cut him off again. His voice was fatigued. "What if one of our jets followed you and took this house upside down? What if the minute they ring your door, your daughter opens it? Did you even think about that?"

Tony's gaze hardened as moved closer to Rhodes. He knew what he was insinuating. His voice was heavy and bitter. "I know what I'm doing, Rhodes."

The colonel didn't move an inch and kept his eyes steady. "Do you now?"

"JARVIS is an intelligent program. I can sense oncoming any vehicles coming my way. Also, my suits are designed to be faster and smarter than your drones and jets so don't tel—

Rhodes stood up and burst, "You just said they were prototypes, Tony! They're  _preliminary_ models! Samples!"

"My calculations are always corre—

"They. Are. Meant. To. Have.  _Flaws._ " Rhodes enunciated each word loudly, hoping it would pierce through the genius' stubbornness and pride. "Tony, now I'm not telling you to stop tinkering, or continue anything with those suits. Hell, you can do whatever you want with them but bringing this kind of _unstable_  work home is dangerous to your family. That's why you have facilities for this, buildings with  _your_  name on it."

Tony laid back and listened. Sometimes he didn't know whether to hate or like the guy. Surely, he thought that his dear old Rhodey would back him up one hundred percent but his good intentions were not only meant for him. He knew the man was worried and he had reasons to be.

"This is new technology I have never seen before and you should be glad that the major called me first when they spotted you. What if someone else detected you before us? I don't even know if I'm the  _only_  one who knows about this. There might already be people who are tailing your metal ass." Rhodey rubbed his temples and pondered carefully. He sauntered closer to his dear friend and dropped a thoughtful hand on his shoulder. "All I'm saying is that Darcy, Pepper, and you could be in potential danger. It doesn't matter what you do with that thing but to bring this home, I—just—be careful where you fly that thing."

The two of them looked intently into each other's eyes. Both of them have different jobs, different experiences but both of them have one person they care about. "I can sense that we're having moment here," Tony put a hand in Rhodey's shoulder, "I thought Pepper and I were gonna have one but you came so are we gonna hug it out or something?"

"Calm down, Tin Man," the Colonel finally smiled at him, "You're smart, Tony, you and I know that no one will ever forget that but don't forget about your girl."

And there she was. Plain navy t-shirt. Denim shorts. Brown knit beanie. Bunny slippers. Slice of pizza.

"You talkin' about muh?" a voice distracted their "moment". The two men saw the subject of their conversation standing on the last steps of the stairs, loudly munching on a slice of pizza. "Thanksh for da pizsha, Uncle."

Tony suddenly stood up, eyes ajar in shock. His voice took a domineering tone which took Rhodey by surprise. "Darcy," he said sternly, "All Starks should have a certain grace around other people."

James Rhodes sat quietly and watched, for once, Tony actually reprimand Darcy, who in turn stared in astonishment. Such occasion was rare and it would take a great deal of mischief and fault for Darcy to actually get in trouble. Now, the man was actually going to lecture his daughter about manners—Tony Stark, of all people, teaching about manners. Maybe this guy really knew what he was doing.

"Look at you," Tony walked closer to the dumbfounded girl and sighed. He bored his eyes into her blue ones and Darcy noticed a flick of disappointment in his stare. "We talked about this," he sighed, dropping both his hands on her shoulders, which forced the girl to swallow a big bite of the slice.

"Darcy, when someone brings you pizza, you have to tell Dad right away."

A loud sigh erupted from the Colonel's throat. He didn't say anything but bow his head in disbelief. Tony caught it and turned to him with legitimate surprise, "I know, right, Rhodey? Can you believe this kid? I think I'm a good parent. I taught her to care. I taught her to share."

Rhodey shook his head and began chuckling to himself, confusing the two. Yup, he's still the same. Everything is still the same. He had noticed that his friend had been acting too weird these past few weeks but he kept quiet because he knew everything will come alight someday—and now he knew. He knew that Tony's little project downstairs was what has been keeping him busy all this time. He knew that the metal suit has unsurpassable potential for the future. He knew that Tony Stark was still the same. The man just swerved into a different lane in life.

"Actually, Uncle Rhodey told me not to tell you," Darcy interjected, "I was pretty hungry so I happily obliged."

"Et tu, Bruté?" Tony feigned shock, comically placing his hands on his chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Rhodey smiled and joked. "The less you know the better."

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Big guy actually did it! I can't believe he actually did it. He saved them. All of them._

_If only Erskine was still here to see him._

_S._

* * *

oOo

* * *

There was a lighter feeling in the air, Darcy felt. It wasn't as tense as early in the morning when her Uncle Rhodey practically barged in the house to talk to her father. She didn't think too much into it because it was the usual occurrence when her Dad had done something stupid. There was no use trying to ask about what really happened. That was the point of the pizza anyway: to distract people. Rhodey used it on her and now she's using it on them.

After giving Tony a few slices and actually having a nice conversation with him, she skipped towards her room with a carefree stride. She typed in the code for access and clapped twice. All the lights in her room turned off and in a snap, all the windows were covered. She walked to her couch and let herself feel the cool air of the darkness. Why ask people who are unwilling to give answers when she can look into it herself? "ASTRID? While Dad is busy bromancing with Uncle, let's look at that mysterious F-22 crash, shall we?"

At that instant, the four large pane of glass facing the couches blinked into transparent hologram screens. A broadcast of Colonel Rhodes' press conference played on one window while photos and the recorded satellite footage of the supposed crash from the Edwards Air Force Base panned the other three windows. How convenient it was to have already hacked the satellite connected to her Uncle Rhodey's station. Darcy didn't predict that she could have another use to it again.

"Turn audio on, please," she muttered to the disembodied computer as she walked closer to the screens. Geometric audio lines appeared on the side and played along with the footage. First, she heard the people yelling in shock as she saw explosions in some kind of village.

[ _What the hell was that? Were we cleared to go in there?]_

_According to the report from Edwards Air Force Base, it was a compound containing over fifteen tons of arsenals collected by the terrorist group, The Ten Rings._

Darcy replied with nothing as she watched carefully. She knew who they were. She then heard another say that the people there were using human shields and that they never got the green light. Then she saw something zoom from the explosions, labeled with a red dot by the satellite, something small and fast. The red dot was zooming away to the left in a speed comparable to a jet.

[ _Wasn't Air Force. It wasn't Navy. Wasn't Marines.]_

The voices rambled on and on and it seemed that they still had not recognize the red dot. Darcy bit her thumb playfully as she heard a man call for her Uncle Rhodey.

[ _Get me Colonel Rhodes from Weapons Development down here now.]_

She wondered what must have gone through Rhodes' mind when he was sent to diagnose the unknown aerial vehicle that had just entered his war zone. What feelings did he feel when he found out the very men that captured his best friend was suddenly blown to pieces—something that he had hoped to do ever since?

Two more radars popped up on the screens as two high altitude surveillance planes were ordered to spot the bogey. Darcy watched as the fighter jets shot incessantly at it after each unsuccessful attempt. They shot and shot. They tried zooming to it. The thing went supersonic. The people panicked. The pilots fired missiles. The thing deployed flares. Then all of the sudden, it was gone.

[ _The sat visual has been lost. No way that's a UAV.]_

Darcy wished she had popcorn with her because, "Shit, that's intense." People clamored in the audio and the pilots yelled with both shock and amazement. She heard people whisper with great confusion as to why the thing suddenly disappeared. The pilots looked left and right, over and sideways and still saw no glimpse of the thing.

_[I think the bogey's been handled, sir.]_

_[Then mark your position and return to base.]_

The radar bleeped as the two jets began to spread out to turn around. Then all of the sudden, she heard one of the pilots yell.

[ _On your belly!]_

God, where's the popcorn?

[ _It looks… like… a man?]_

Forget the popcorn. That was all she needed.

Muting the footage, she opened a new window and started a search. "Considering how Uncle Rhodey painstakingly covered up the crash with something, it should probably be a big deal, right?" she thought to herself, thinking of what she should type up to search, "Okay, let's see. Um so it's a thing that flies, it can go supersonic and it's shaped like a man… Should I look up MAV instead of UAV then? Does that even exist? Don't answer that, I'm just talking to myself."

Various folders began to pop up on the window, opening and closing as her computer system began to sort through public network files and hidden files she was able to intercept using hacked satellites. She bit her thumb at the nervous feeling inching down her fingers. She couldn't help but feel anxious somehow. For all her life, she had access to all knowledge available. May it be from a small bookstore down the street, or Howard Stark's private library, she was able to garner any information and welcome it with open arms. But somehow, she was nervous to keep digging. She has all these resources to find out the truth, but she didn't know what to do with it.

_Sector Sixteen is locked._

Darcy raised a brow. "Sector Sixteen? That's new. Why haven't we seen that one?"

_The folder was hidden until a wi-fi signal brought it out to the company's public network._

"But it's still encrypted. We have to be physically there to unlock the folder."

Darcy stared long and hard at the screen. All the other folders were opening except for that one sector. Somehow deep inside her knew something was up but there was also the chance that they were only private files of Stark Industries. "Where is the folder located?"

"So you're the one that's been snooping around."

* * *

oOo

* * *

The sun has already set when he left his workshop for a break. Improving the suit took a great deal of time and he needed to take a breather and pat himself in the back. He grabbed a small glass cup from the kitchen and poured a tiny amount of scotch. A sip was so rewarding that he almost forgot the echoing rings of a phone that had been going on for a while.

"I threw it somewhere…" he muttered to himself, leaving his cup on the kitchen counter. The halls and the living room quietly lingered in the darkness, joining the Pacific's cobalt night. His phone grew louder as he stepped closer to the couches. The house was silent. He wondered what Darcy was up to. She was probably with Pepper or something.

He looked around and around for the phone and found the source under one of the pillows. He quickly grabbed the phone and saw Pepper's face on the screen. What could be the problem now?

"Tony?" was the first thing he heard when he raised the phone to his ear. Second was the most painful whirring noise he had ever heard in his life. It was a horrible shriek, so deafening that he immediately begged for it to end after one second. His mind wanted it stop but no sound came out of his throat. He wanted to close his eyes to shut off the pain but they widened open, feeling the air dry incoming tears.

"Tony, are you there?" he heard, the whirring sound fading away. He wanted to scream but it was as if his mouth was glued closed. "Hello?" He wanted to call for Pepper. For anyone. But the sound knocked the air left out of his lungs.

"Breathe," a deep voice said. Then all of the sudden he was being laid carefully on the couch. "Easy, easy." The voice was slowly getting recognizable.

His eyes refused to move when he saw an all-familiar hand appear in front of him with an all-familiar device he knew he had discarded long ago. "You remember this one, right?" the voice asked, wiggling the device before his unmoving eyes. "It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis."

Then the hand moved away to grab him by the jaw. At that instant, he finally saw his face.

"Tony." Obadiah Stane sighed. "When I order the hit on you… I was worried that I was killing the golden goose…"

How could he be so stupid? He knew all the possibilities and he knew that Stane could be likely the one who'd be behind all this, but how could he actually be so stupid to disregard that idea?

Stane began removing earbuds off his ears and smiled to himself. "But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that."

Pain.  _Pain_. Pain. Where was it coming from? Tony felt a tug in his chest. No. He wouldn't.

"You had one last golden egg to give."

Another tug. Pain.  _Pain._ Pain.

"Do you really think that just because…"

Stane began turning something. He felt a jolt in his chest.

"…you have an idea, it belongs to you?"

Bright light overcame his eyes. It was the bright light that kept him alive.

"Your father, he helped gave us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"

No. Stane wouldn't. He could die.

"Oh it's beautiful," Stane's voice was eerie in awe as he waved the arc reactor in front of Tony Stark's paralyzed eyes. The light glossed over his brown irises. Life was escaping his body slowly and all the Tony saw were years with his life-long mentor, his friend, his family wasted for this moment.

"Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony." Stane continued to talk as he sat casually beside him. The genius on the other hand had no choice but to look at the arc reactor, the only thing that kept him alive.

"What a masterpiece. Look at that." Stane sighed as Tony began to breathe shallower breaths. "This is your legacy."

Stane grabbed him by the jaw. Mocking awe no longer were in his eyes but a new kind of lingering hate that sparked from betrayal. He still smiled but Tony knew that the Obie he thought he knew was gone. He wondered if he was going to let him die this slow death. Did Obie abhorred him that much that he would willingly torture him until his end? Ordering the hit for him wasn't enough. It had to come to this. But why?

"Speaking of legacy, I found out you didn't only leave one golden egg—but two!" Stane smiled and clenched Tony's jaw tighter. Tony expected to feel pain from his grasp but he felt a different a more excruciating ache from his chest. It wasn't his forthcoming death without an arc reactor. It wasn't the shock and betrayal from Stane. It was the only fear he had possessed for almost eighteen years. The only person he sought to protect all his life was now caught from the webs of his own destruction.

Tony looked at him with wavering brown eyes. Tears welled up on the surface, screaming.

_No. Not this._

Stane chuckled at his reaction and nodded, "Oh but yes, Tony." He proceeded to turn his paralyzed head to the left and saw a lock of all-familiar brunette hair on the carpet. Tony forced the haze of his heaving, aching heart to see clearly. He didn't want to see but he knew he had to confirm and at that moment, he wished he just stayed in that cave to die alone.

"Pepper mentioned her a few months ago when you were gone. Accidentally and fortunately for me." Stane stood up from the couch. "But she's quick-witted, you see, and she said that she's only her god-daughter."

He kicked the couch in front of him to reveal Darcy's full motionless body lying on the carpet. A pained groan came out from Tony. He wanted to run. He wanted to punch him in the face. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hold his daughter. But he was trapped, paralyzed.

"I didn't pay too much attention after that," Stane shrugged and sat on the couch next to Darcy's body. "But a week later, I found a small bug that targeted Stark Industries employees and our satellites. I thought it would only be those hackers that sought only our money but whoever it was just changed the course coordinates satellites over to the Middle East. Tracing it back was not an easy feat, I tell you and I congratulate her for that. But signals bounced back to your private servers in New York and a small carriage house in Manhattan. A house owned by a Darcy Lewis."

Tony's lips began to crack, drying from the numerous attempts to exhale his voice. He wanted to move his arms, his legs but his brain did not follow. All he could do is watch and listen.

"Meredith died too young, may she rest in peace, but I didn't know she had a child." Stane reached down to remove a lock of hair that covered Darcy's face. A sharp gasp escaped from Tony. Her eyes were opened. Bright aquamarine eyes were open, frozen in place… staring back at him. Her lips were ajar as if she had been trying helplessly to breathe properly. Tony wished he died alone in that cave. Death would be less painful than this.

"It didn't take me long to find her birth certificate. Her real one." Stane touched her porcelain cheek with his fingertips which elicited another protest from Tony. A small whimper came from his daughter which felt like a thousand knives piercing his chest. "You don't how it's easy to find something or someone once you've set your heart into it. You should give her more credit. She tried finding you! How do you think Rhodes found out where you were in the desert?"

Stane chuckled loudly when Tony attempted to pierce a glare at him. "Funny, she looks more like her mother than you." Tony wanted to look at the skies to beg for Meredith's forgiveness. This was the one thing she never wanted. Darcy was supposed to be safe.

"I assume Pepper had a part in all this. Since her employment started the year she was born."

_I just got her back._

Tony felt the tips of his fingers shake and he forced and forced his whole hand to follow. He maintained his glare at Stane and spewed curses in his mind when Stane began to reach down to pick up his daughter.

_Don't take her away._

"Too bad you had to involve her and Pepper into this." Stane muttered when he carried Darcy's motionless body. Pallid finger reached for his trembling ones. But he couldn't do anything. He has spent so much time improving himself, his suit but once again, he was stuck in a place that stood silently in front of his helpless daughter. Stane began walking away with her and the last thing he saw was a tear from Darcy's eyes before she disappeared in the darkness.

"I would have preferred that your family lived."


End file.
